Contract Situation

[Kingsmills]

Further reports that both Raven and Meekings, while keen to stay, are frustrated by lack of progress in getting deals tied up. Now that the transfer window has come and gone, can we please prioritise getting these vital players secured.

 

It's hard enough getting quality players to come to the Highlands, it would be criminal to let two who are content with life here slip away.

[Yngwie]

We all want Meekings to stay, but at what cost?  Hard to blame the stalemate on the club without knowing what his agent is demanding.

 

Meanwhile, it doesn't help us that the player is in the press advertising his availability.

[Sneckboy]

It's frustrating, as fans, being 'left in the dark' with the progress or otherwise of the contract negotiations. But, I can understand how little is revealed until anything concrete has been decided.

 

However, while I can appreciate the lack of transparency there, I feel the club could be doing more in letting us know the current injury status of Foran and Brill.

Will the 'keeper be back this weekend or is his injury long-term?

 

The club captain hasn't played in nearly a year - is he anywhere near a comeback or will he miss the rest of the season? Is his injury career-threatening? If so will his long-term contract be honoured? etc!

 

The second most recent 'team item' posted on the website was in October - Ibra Sekajja signs!

We're 3rd top of the Premiership, yet some Highland League and Junior teams keep their fans better posted.

It's not being told what's going on that's causing this wave of unease.

 

But, for balance, there's still a lot the club does right. For example, just yesterday, CaleyD posted on here a timely acknowledgement that the Development game was postponed - even though it would likely only affect a few folk. Kudos where it's due.

[+DoofersDad]

It seems to me that this is a tipping point for the club.  We are where we are (which is punching above our weight), but do we continue to develop and grow as a team and as a club or do we drop back to what might be seen as a natural level for a club with our resources and fan base?  It is also a tipping point for the manager.  He took over a team that was 2nd in the league and was fortunate to be able to retain almost the entire squad for this season.  He has also been fortunate that with the exception of Foran we have been relatively injury free.  This is where he starts getting tested.

 

I've said it before and I will no doubt say it again, but with The Rangers, Hearts and Hibs all out of the picture, this season and probably next offers a unique opportunity for success and a European place.  Whilst I am all for sound financial management and adopting policies with the long term viability of the club in mind, I do think we should be seizing the unique combination of having a brilliant squad and weakened opposition to achieve something we may never have the opportunity to again.  A European place might not of itself bring in money but it would bring kudos and make this a more attractive proposition for future players.  It would, of course, be brilliant for the fans.

 

What concerns me is the lack of information and the generally negative vibes coming from the club at this time of great opportunity.  When interviewed after the dismal draw against County it was put to Yogi that we have a number of other players who are capable of scoring and that we might might not miss Billy too much.  Yogi responded by saying that we certainly will miss him as he's a natural born goal scorer.  From that one can assume that he doesn't see Billy's departure as being something that can be fixed from within.  That being the case, what efforts were done to replace him?  After all, they knew there was a very high chance he would be going. 

 

Yogi has previously stated that he would not be bringing anyone in unless he felt they were better than we already have and would strengthen the team.  Yet it seems that the only player we know of who was pursued was a 30 year old squad player from Southend.  That hardly sounds like a ringing vote of confidence in the players we currently have.  Nor does it sound like a professional effort at replacing a player who they almost certainly knew was off.  It does, however, seem like an admission that the club thinks we need to bring a striker in.

 

In the interview Yogi also blamed the pitch and said that they would need to make changes to the way we play to cope with the stickier pitches at this time of year.  These days, if the pitch is a mud bath the games gets postponed.  If the pitch is deemed playable then it is exactly that - playable, and professional footballers trained in crisp passing of a football should be able to pass the ball on a soft surface.  What is the point of completely remodelling the playing style if you then abandon it at the business end of the season because the pitches are soft.  Soft pitches in a Scottish winter! Whoever would have thought it!

 

He went on to say that we have been good at keeping clean sheets and that we need to keep doing that and nick the odd goal at the other end.  That sounds very much like letting other teams come on to us and then punting it up the field for Marley to chase.  A bit like what happened against the bottom team in the league on Saturday.  The rest of the season sounds like it could be fun!

 

Of course, if you want to keep clean sheets you need to have a good defence.  We have that at the moment, but for how long?  We know Shinnie is away next season but what of Meekings and Raven?  We understand that Meekings wants a one year contract and the club wants a longer one so it should be something that can be sorted out easily enough.  But the longer it goes on unresolved then the more likely it is that other more cash rich clubs will offer Josh a longer contract for more money and, much as he may want to stay for other reasons, he'll be off.  As for the David Raven situation I have to confess to being baffled.  He has been repeatedly quoted as saying he wants to stay but has not been offered a new contract.  I find it almost unbelievable that the club would not have offered him a contract but yet to the best of my knowledge they have not refuted what Raven is saying.  It really is imperative to get these two players and others who are out of contract at the end of the season signed up as soon as possible.  The money we got from Billy should help as should the money we will get from a decent league position. 

 

If we can't do that the position will be looking grim.  We have just lost arguably our most important player and will lose our acting club captain at the end of the season.  Unless contracts get signed soon we could lose 2 more key defenders who actually want to stay here,  and possibly others as well.  In the meantime, we did not strengthen in the window and we have no word of anyone coming in for the new season.  We have also yet to see anyone come in on a loan basis who does anything to strengthen the team.  After over a year, we have yet to see any evidence of Yogi being able to attract players to the club who are as good as any of the current first team squad.

 

Obviously I would not expect the club to make public announcements about the detail of contract negotiations or which players may be being chased with a view to summer signings, but I would expect some general information of what is going on.  We may get some good news on contract extensions very soon, we may get news that players have been secured on loan or on pre-contract agreements and we might find that the change of tactics is to press the opposition harder and play football in the opponents half (Greg Tansey thunderbolts and Nick Ross nipping in to pick up the pieces - that sort of thing) but the vibes we are getting suggest otherwise.

 

Which way is the club going to tip?  Onward to an early season European campaign and a challenge for honours next season, or back next season to  a bottom six survival scrap?  Come on ICT - it's time to show the fans that the contingency plan involves a drive for the former and not resigning yourselves to the likelihood of the latter.  We have a great squad of players at a time when the league is as weak as it has ever been.  It is a time of unprecedented opportunity for the club so please, let's seize this opportunity and let's see some evidence of ambition from the club.

 

 

[Sneckboy]

Well said, sir.

[Kingsmills]

If Meekings is only willing to sign a one year deal why not give him one assuming the salary being asked is reasonable.

 

That way we have him for another season with the option of cashing in in January. Not exactly ideal but a whole lot better than losing him for sure in May and for nothing.

[CaleyD]

In regards to communication...

 

It used to be my biggest annoyance with regards to the club and is/was the main reason I volunteer so much time to assisting them.

 

We did an extended interview with Yogi last week in which he goes through all the possible permutations of what could occur with signings as the transfer window approached...and beyond.  He stated that there was a chance that someone could have come in ahead of last weekends game, but if not then he still had other options and was very clear that if the window closed without us making a signing, it did not mean that we wouldn't still be looking....he even pointed out that his best ever signing was a free agent.

 

I really don't know what more the club could say at this point without giving info which they likely don't want in the public domain (such as target names etc)....and I would be the first person pushing for a statement if I felt their was information to be given.

 

There's been a few rumours floating around in the press (none of them true, to my knowledge) about approaches here and there, and whilst it may seem like a sensible thing for the club to make comment on these it doesn't actually help the wider situation.  I've learned a few things along the way whilst doing what I do at the club, and one of those things is that the more the club do to try and counter rumour and misinformation, the more rumour and misinformation it creates because press start (more than normal) to create stuff knowing that even if it's nonsense then it generates a response and helps them fill column inches.  It means that the club have to strike a balance, and that balance comes from not wasting time writing statements every day, but from giving proper information as and when there's proper information to give.

 

The pursuit of the above mentioned point of balance has meant that in the past 3 years or so, the club has gone from not having a dedicated person working on media/communication to having someone for whom it's a full time responsibility.  Not only is someone coordinating that, but you then have the time spent gathering and preparing the info from various dept's....so there is a marked increase in hours dedicated to it from everyone.

 

It would be naive of the club (and arrogance by me) to think that they always get it right....and sometimes we know we're missing doing something, but the limited resources mean you have to take a "hit" somewhere.  I don't believe that is the case here and all the useful information that can be given, has been given.

 

If people want an official line on it, then I'll stick my club hat on and say "things are still happening and an update will be given in due course".  We'll be speaking to Yogi tomorrow ahead of the game this weekend and I'm sure if there's anything that can be added to that then he'll include it.

[dodoc5]

In that case, ask him directly on the lack of communication on Foran and Brill's injury, and on Raven and Meekings' unease at the lack of a contract offer....

[Sir C the 3rd]

Don't get me wrong we are a very well run club. But we do make a mistake now and again (like everyone and everything). It seems to some people on here cannot accept that no-one is capable of making any error at all inside TCS. Regardless if they're nice people and all doing they're best (which I;m sure they are). There is a large group of people frustrated by lack of communication regarding Mckay leaving, not bringing anyone in and the ongoing contract situations. All they want is an official statement from the club.

Defend the club on everything at all costs.

[RiG]

It's behind a paywall so I've no idea what the article actually says but the headline is encouraging:

 

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/482456/caley-thistle-step-up-efforts-to-sign-up-players/

[Big G]

It's behind a paywall so I've no idea what the article actually says but the headline is encouraging:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-

thistle/482456/caley-thistle-step-up-efforts-to-sign-up-players/

Nothing really new. I would like to think everything said has been ongoing for a while. With the clubs wages being what they are I still think it's dangerous to leave it this late in a players contract to start to tie them down. Players with no previous thought of leaving could be turned with the carrot of more money if clubs now approach them. Edited February 6, 2015 by Big G

[Sneckboy]

Caley Thistle manager John Hughes will step up talks to secure the future of seven players who will be out of contract at the end of the season.

Defenders Josh Meekings, David Raven and Danny Devine and midfielders Marley Watkins, Nick Ross, Liam Polworth and Lewis Horner will be free agents at the end of the campaign.

The Caley Jags lost leading-scorer Billy Mckay to Wigan Athletic for £150,000 last month, while captain Graeme Shinnie agreed a pre-contract with Aberdeen.

 

Hughes’ priority is to ensure no more players move on and he said: “It’s about time, within the next week or so, that we get down to business. We need to know where we’re going and the players need to know where they’re going.

“It works both ways. They might say someone has offered them a deal. We don’t want that.

“The players have been very hard-working. We know what we’ve got and that’s important.”

 

Although the transfer window is closed Hughes remains keen to add to his squad, but must now look to the free agent market.

He will not be rushing any deals and added: “We’re still working very hard to add one or two.

“I look for good footballers. If any of our players want to sit back and rest on their laurels and I see a better footballer, no matter what position, I’ll try to bring him to my club.

“I like good footballers, but character is massively important and I know how hard these players train. I need to bring in people with the right character.

 

“It’s a special squad and I don’t want to bring a bad apple in.

“We have to be very careful, but we’re getting there. The strategy is in place.

“My phone’s been red hot. As soon as I identify a player, the first thing I do is a look at his history. Ten times out of 10, I will find someone who he’s worked or played with and get on the phone for a character reference.”

[RiG]

 

It's behind a paywall so I've no idea what the article actually says but the headline is encouraging:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-

thistle/482456/caley-thistle-step-up-efforts-to-sign-up-players/

Nothing really new. I would like to think everything said has been ongoing for a while. With the clubs wages being what they are I still think it's dangerous to leave it this late in a players contract to start to tie them down. Players with no previous thought of leaving could be turned with the carrot of more money if clubs now approach them.

 

 

Agreed and exactly the reason why I think we should be more proactive in getting players tied to new deals sooner rather than later.

[Yngwie]

The last part of that interview about the personality of signing targets is interesting, and something we tend to not think about as fans when saying who we should sign. It's often said that the great team spirit is a factor behind us punching above our weight and you can understand the manager being careful not to spoil that by bringing in a bad apple.

 

So you might get a good striker who is available and affordable, but if for example he's had 18 clubs and got kicked out of his most recent one because of personality clashes, he's less likely to be what Hughes is looking for. 

 

These character references might make it harder for us to make a signing, but you can see where the manager is coming from.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

^{This is all the usual stuff fer me - BUT the one thing that is concerning is that Raven and Meekings have BOTH made personal statements NOT their agents. But I really do not see how a simple statement from the club - "We remain in discussion with Josh Meekings and his agent and sincerely hope to come to a conclusion as soon as possible" can not be made - that says volumes.}

 

^{Oh and Caley D - careful of the use of the "we" word and derivatives.}  

[Sneckboy]

Here we go...

[ferben1994]

Bump*

Still no word on extensions for Raven/Meekings or did I miss it?

[ICTRoughi]

According to the Express one of our star players are set to sign a new deal. My money is on Meekings.

[RossP]

According to the Express one of our star players are set to sign a new deal. My money is on Meekings.

Fingers crossed for Meekings or Watkins. But I'd also be happy with Ross or Raven...

[PerfICT]

 

According to the Express one of our star players are set to sign a new deal. My money is on Meekings.

Fingers crossed for Meekings or Watkins. But I'd also be happy with Ross or Raven...

 

My guess would be Meekings - think Watkins will be away in the summer

[old caley girl]

According to the BBC gossip Meekings and the club hoping to come to a compromise over a new deal. Club want 2 years, Josh 1 year. So not really any big news at all then!

[RossP]

According to the BBC gossip Meekings and the club hoping to come to a compromise over a new deal. Club want 2 years, Josh 1 year. So not really any big news at all then!

 

Because of Josh's age, if he moves on at the end of season 2015/16 to an English team (as he's indicated is his future plan), would be still be due a decent compensation despite it being an out of contract transfer because of his age?

[Harry Chibber]

I'm not aware of all the legalities of setting up a footballer's contract but should the club not just write in a release clause into his contract for bids from English teams over a certain amount?  Meekings gets the opportunity of a move as long as he performs and ICT still bank a reasonable fee.

 

It should be the same for all the players and it would show them how valued they are to the club... might be the case that a couple of player might be undervalued on the occasion but considering we normally make next to nothing when selling players on I can't see us taking that much of a hit.

[RiG]

When Kenny McLean signed a new deal with Saint Mirren last year part of the deal meant he was due a cut of any transfer fee. Saint Mirren got him on a longer contract than he was prepared to sign. Maybe something similar for Meekings? He may not want to sign a two year deal and commit himself to staying at ICT too far into the future but if there is some incentive there that would benefit him perhaps that might sweeten the deal. Indeed, that may well have been offered to him already.

[Harry Chibber]

Scott Burns of Daily Express posted on twitter that Meekings is set to sign a 2 year contract - [courtesy of a mate]

 

Yay!!

 

Now just need Ross, Watkins ... and Raven in that order :)