Munro - 2 Year Extension

[CaleyD]

Information on Official Site - Clicky Clicky

Hopefully just the start, and a few more to come.

[Kingsmills]

Great news. Let's hope that Black, Cowie and Fraser all follow the skipper's fine example.

Being ultra critical, It's a pity it's only a two year extention rather than a three year one.

[Harry Chibber]

As good as a new signing IMO... great to see a player so commited to the ICT cause

[Kingsmills]

Such players are few and far between these days.

[SMEE]

I dont think his signing was ever in question, and i believe it ill be the same with fraser. Not sure Black's contract will go so smoothly tho. At least ICT are acting now instead of the last minute

[Kingsmills]

I've got a feeling that you may well be right Smee.

[Scotty]

Put a decent offer on the table for Black and I would hope he will seriously consider it.

I could be totally wrong, but reading between the lines of all the various rumblings of the past few weeks it seems he is settled at ICT and given a decent offer would commit for another 2 or 3 years. Getting Blackie signed up might also be the catalyst for a few others to put pen to paper .....

[absent friend]

Great news. Let's hope that Black, Cowie and Fraser all follow the skipper's fine example.

Being ultra critical, It's a pity it's only a two year extention rather than a three year one.

Will this not be reflective of their belief that he is ICT through and through and therefore will not be subject to a transfer deal, be older when the deal runs out, maybe by then younger players will be pushing for his position and therefore he will be just as easy to deal with in 2 years time.

Black however is different, I bet the Board would like a 5 year deal to enhance the sizable transfer fee that will, at some time, come our way but a long term deal is just wishful thinking on my part.

Fraser's agent must realise that we now have a good keeper as backup and this must dilute his negotiating strength and I feel he will sign just to keep himself in the SPL and in the shop window unless some English club has made an approach.

[CaleyP]

I think a player like blackie won't tie himself down for longer than 2years, it's not in his best interest to do so. I think if he signs it'll be two years at the most and I think that would be best for both club and player to be honest. I really hope he signs, but it won't be anything more than two years.

[CaleyD]

How can a 2 year deal for a player like Black be considered "best for the club"?

I honestly think that if the club can (and do) make the right offer to Black then he'd sign longer. I'm sure he has aspirations to ply his trade at the highest level, but let's face it, if a player is good and worth the money then the "bigger" clubs will be willing to pay the price to terminate whatever length of contract he is on.

[CaleyP]

How can a 2 year deal for a player like Black be considered "best for the club"?

I honestly think that if the club can (and do) make the right offer to Black then he'd sign longer. I'm sure he has aspirations to ply his trade at the highest level, but let's face it, if a player is good and worth the money then the "bigger" clubs will be willing to pay the price to terminate whatever length of contract he is on.

I see what your saying i just think a 2 year deal is best.

for instance look at cowie...great season last season...this season struggling to get started for whatever reason that may be. black has so far this season been top notch but he hasn't proved himself to be consistant...quarter of the season isn't enough proof...i hope he does sign but two years would be ideal I think for both club and player. you have to agree consistancy is paramount.

on his part no player wants to tie himself down unless your talking tens of thousands of pounds a week and he certainly won't get a 5th of that at caley...we all know that caley pay the lowest wages in the league so a player with potential won't want to sign longer than two years. football is such a short career that you cant sign long term deals with low paying clubs and unfortunately caley are one of those clubs.

Edited October 14, 2008 by CaleyP

[Scotty]

I think the reality is somewhere in the middle ......

No player who thinks he can perform at a higher level will want to tie himself down for a 4 or 5 year contract unless it is at one of the top teams in the SPL or EPL and conversely, no club at our level (financially speaking) can really afford to offer a deal so sweet that a player with the undoubted potential of someone like Black will sign on for 5 years.

The reality is that we will continue to offer 1, 2 and at best 3 year deals to our players in the hope that some will be like Tokely and Munro and basically stay with us their whole career and others will be on a long enough contract that we will see some money for them when they undoubtedly move on.

[gordyfromsneck]

Great to see Granty get a big feature on the Scottish news last night. "Playing football in yer home town at the top level. What could be better than that?" What indeed. A fine advert that says that lifestyle is much more important than hard cash, though I am sure Granty gets enough to save for his post-playing days. A fine exemplar to all young Heelanders, footballers or not. Brew seemed genuinely appreciative to have him commit.

He finished with..."And I still go to my Mam's for tea on a Sunday." (Made up bit)

[Kingsmills]

As far as Black and Cowie are concerned it would be great to secure them both for 3 years or even longer but if they, or either of them are only prepared to commit to 2 then that's better than them walking at the end of thge season or leaving during the January transfer window for a modest fee.

[CaleyD]

How can a 2 year deal for a player like Black be considered "best for the club"?

I honestly think that if the club can (and do) make the right offer to Black then he'd sign longer. I'm sure he has aspirations to ply his trade at the highest level, but let's face it, if a player is good and worth the money then the "bigger" clubs will be willing to pay the price to terminate whatever length of contract he is on.

I see what your saying i just think a 2 year deal is best.

for instance look at cowie...great season last season...this season struggling to get started for whatever reason that may be. black has so far this season been top notch but he hasn't proved himself to be consistant...quarter of the season isn't enough proof...i hope he does sign but two years would be ideal I think for both club and player. you have to agree consistancy is paramount.

on his part no player wants to tie himself down unless your talking tens of thousands of pounds a week and he certainly won't get a 5th of that at caley...we all know that caley pay the lowest wages in the league so a player with potential won't want to sign longer than two years. football is such a short career that you cant sign long term deals with low paying clubs and unfortunately caley are one of those clubs.

Black has probably been one of our most consistent players since he arrived at the club, so in that regard I think he's proven himself as more than just a "short term" wonder and worthy of being offered as long a contract as we can get him to sign.

I'm not arguing over what the player may be willing to commit himself too, I'm on about what is in the best interests of the club. Although, there's also ways of enticing players to sign longer deals without having to commit financially in the wage packet every week. They can be offered an enhanced percentage of any future transfer fee....effectively meaning that the longer they sign up for and the higher a fee the club can command, the better of the player will be....everyone wins.

[Harry Chibber]

How can a 2 year deal for a player like Black be considered "best for the club"?

I honestly think that if the club can (and do) make the right offer to Black then he'd sign longer. I'm sure he has aspirations to ply his trade at the highest level, but let's face it, if a player is good and worth the money then the "bigger" clubs will be willing to pay the price to terminate whatever length of contract he is on.

I see what your saying i just think a 2 year deal is best.

for instance look at cowie...great season last season...this season struggling to get started for whatever reason that may be. black has so far this season been top notch but he hasn't proved himself to be consistant...quarter of the season isn't enough proof...i hope he does sign but two years would be ideal I think for both club and player. you have to agree consistancy is paramount.

on his part no player wants to tie himself down unless your talking tens of thousands of pounds a week and he certainly won't get a 5th of that at caley...we all know that caley pay the lowest wages in the league so a player with potential won't want to sign longer than two years. football is such a short career that you cant sign long term deals with low paying clubs and unfortunately caley are one of those clubs.

Black has probably been one of our most consistent players since he arrived at the club, so in that regard I think he's proven himself as more than just a "short term" wonder and worthy of being offered as long a contract as we can get him to sign.

I'm not arguing over what the player may be willing to commit himself too, I'm on about what is in the best interests of the club. Although, there's also ways of enticing players to sign longer deals without having to commit financially in the wage packet every week. They can be offered an enhanced percentage of any future transfer fee....effectively meaning that the longer they sign up for and the higher a fee the club can command, the better of the player will be....everyone wins.

I am a fan of Black and have been since I first saw him doing tricks at the sideline after just arriving from Blackburn but for being one of our most forward thinking midfielders he hasn't tallied many goals or assists for that matter. He works hard, has great technique and an excellent first touch but for a player to merit a 3+ year contract the club need to justify that we can't find a player that would be more effective in his position, and also needs to take into account his disciplinary record and whether his attitude is a positive influence to the rest of the squad. I would love to see him sign a longer contract because I think you are investing in his potential but I think he still needs to prove himself at the club like every other player.

Craig Bryson @ Killie for example bagged 4 goals in his first season in the SPL and already scored 2 so far this season...

[Tug]

Good news on the signing front and pleased tht he is staying. hopefully will be the catalyst for more commitment from some others. wa a little surprised to see no mention of a testamonial though, seeing as he has already been with the club 11 years and i can hardly think of a more deserving player at the moment

[CaleyD]

I could be wrong, but I think a Testimonial had been agreed on his last contract, so is probably already on the cards and could even be next season?

[Tug]

I could be wrong, but I think a Testimonial had been agreed on his last contract, so is probably already on the cards and could even be next season?

last i heard it was hastings next in line for a testamonial. not to take anything away from his contribution but both him and barry have had time away when they signed for other clubs where as Granty as far as i can tell only had a loan spell at elgin

[CaleyD]

I thought this was Hastings Testimonial season? I really should start writing things down somewhere, don't think the mind is as sharp as it used to be

[TinRoofMan]

Its good to see "The Press" know how to search the archives for pics of "Grant Munro". :018:

:thumb04:

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,1...4334078,00.html

They should have gone to Specsavers!

[RossP]

Ach... Teamtalk had a picture of the wrong Niculae for the entire of last season, as well a horrific one for Charlie Christie and still use one of Brewster lifting the cup with the Arabs.

[Guest WynessLegend]

Anyway, back to the real thread.

So, Grant's signed .......

surprise surprise, a local lad who has no real desire to leave the area and who is

not a target of any other club anyway.

Don't get me wrong, he's a decent player and I'm glad we have him in our team ......

Now can we get on with the difficult job of getting Black and Cowie signed.

(Or will the next scoop be that Mike "dangerhands" Fraser has signed?)

[Renegade]

Munro should never have been an essential signature for ICT. As it has been said, he's local and unlikely to move anywhere else. Munro's an interesting player. I never really used to rate him that highly. I didn't think he was terrible, I just thought he was alright. My view changed towards the end of last season when he out injured and it could clearly be seen how much he was missed. Glad we got him now.

[Dmacca]

Good news regarding Grant Munro me and my kids have had the chance to talk to him on several occasions and he has come across as a good honest bloke with time for the fans, not a bad player either.

Edited October 17, 2008 by Dmacca