Contracts (Merged)

[Jay_7]

Maybe so, but the negotiations should have started long ago. If our DoF is supposed to organise contract offers, and Bennet is not doing this, what is he doing to justify his wages?

[Guest Spectre]

It doesn't matter when you start the negotiations if the player feels he can get more by waiting. As our wages are amongst the lowest in top flight football (from any previously available numbers I have seen), this will always be the case. I doubt there is anyone at the club who would not like to see Black and Cowie in particular sign extensions but not at the expense of its solvency.

Unless the club can substantially increase its income, this won't change, as 5th Stand says.

[stevico1]

It doesn't matter when you start the negotiations if the player feels he can get more by waiting. As our wages are amongst the lowest in top flight football (from any previously available numbers I have seen), this will always be the case. I doubt there is anyone at the club who would not like to see Black and Cowie in particular sign extensions but not at the expense of its solvency.

Unless the club can substantially increase its income, this won't change, as 5th Stand says.

While that might well be the case do you not think it would even have been worthwhile to at least try to get the ball rolling at the start of the season rather than so close to the transfer window

[Guest Spectre]

I thought we did with Cowie and he said no. With Black I think he indicated his expectations last year when Marius was brought in!

[stevico1]

I thought we did with Cowie and he said no. With Black I think he indicated his expectations last year when Marius was brought in!

Didnt realise that was the case with Cowie, with regards to Blackies expectations I wonder if the club discussed that with him or went with what was in the papers.

[CaleyD]

That's the point I was trying to make, contract negotiations before players are considering their future options will require investment in the short term, but should improve cash flow in the long term either through results if they are retained or transfer fees should they go. Clubs are also less likely to poach players who have a 2 or 3 year contract unless they are outstanding and hence worth a lot more.

My apologies, I read your post slightly differently.

[CaleyD]

As to the rest of the replies from people about Cowie having been offered a contract a couple of months back. It makes no difference offering him a contract once the summer window has shut because the club have already removed the option to sell if a player doesn't extend by delaying it till that point.

Contracts should be negotiated at the end of the previous season for those with a year left, and if players aren't willing to extend, the club then have the chance to cash in on them....or at the very least be able to make a clear decision that they are willing to keep the player in full knowledge and acceptance that there's every chance they could lose them for nothing.

In the SFL we might have been considered one of the bigger fish, we were certainly a club that was going places, and we could perhaps afford to be a little more arrogant when it came to contract negotiations as we had more to offer compared to a lot of teams around us. However, that's changed a great deal and we are now very much a small fish in the SPL and we're not exactly "going places" at the moment which means just about every other team around us has more to offer....and not just when it comes to money. We can no longer afford to get cocky and try and play hardball with players and it's about time we started turning things a little more in our favour and becoming more streetwise.

I wouldn't be surprised if players weren't happy with what they were being offered. If I'd been plugging away at ICT for a couple of years and really adding value to the team then I doubt I'd be too happy at being paid less than someone who had failed to prove themselves at this level in the past, had come from a lower division and was (by all accounts) the highest paid player at the club!!! I'd be even more peeved if I was one of the younger lads who'd been grafting for us this season and actually contributing to the team and I was getting ?1000 a week less than they were and might have been sidelined because my next start meant I was due a pay increase which the club didn't want to honour and might be trying to negotiate downwards. Hypothetical....but certainly not beyond the realms of possibility when you actually look at what's going on.

[Kingsmills]

Absolutely right.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Who would you say is the highest paid player at TCS and what would they be on per week?

[Alex MacLeod]

Cowie has not been offered a new contract. The club were reported in the press to having stated talks would begin. The following week Cowie says he doesnt want to discuss contracts.

Who would you say is the highest paid player at TCS and what would they be on per week?

Grant Munro ?1800 per week. Grant is the latest renewal and he's club captain so thats my guess.

[Kingsmills]

It's pointless to speculate on what individual players are earning. Such matters are, quite properly, confidential between employer and employee.

[CaleyD]

I remember seeing reports of the deal with Barrowman being in excess of ?200,000 over the 3 years which was in addition to the signing on fee. Even ignoring the signing on fee that would put him on a wage in the region of ?1300 per week if the reports are correct.

I believe some of the younger lads are on less than ?200 per week....which, for an "apprentice" might be acceptable, but a couple of them are proving to be worth far more and instead of the raise the are due/deserve seem to have been benched in order to save a few quid.

[StockholmSyndrome]

I believe some of the younger lads are on less than ?200 per week....

If that's true then it's pretty paltry. Even I earn quite a bit more than that!

[CaleyP]

i know that barrowman gets more than 1300 a week which is a complete joke, i think that lad would struggle in the first division nevermind the spl. honestly the worse the player you are at caley the higher they seem to get paid...the club really do **** up on wages, the club clearly don't pay the players that actually deserve a wage, it's completely back to front. as for the youngers they would be better of working at tesco's. its actually embarassing the wages the players get paid compared to similar sized clubs as us. we are the lowest paying club in the spl by quite a bit.

Edited November 20, 2008 by CaleyP

[AJS]

I have a funny feeling we will keep Black. I think the most likely time too loose him has past from 2 years ago when Brewster tryed to poach him to the Arabs. Black has been at the club for nearly 5 years now and as far as i know he is very settled in the Inverness area and is clearly playing his best football. I doubt he wants to jeopardise that. Perhaps the club are trying to keep conract talks as private as possible after what happened with Dods, Brown and Dargo.

In terms of Cowie well who knows. He is an Inverness lad who obviously has so much still to offer the club. I would be very dissapointed to see him leave but after he stalled the offer in the summer after stating he wanted to extend his contract i'am not so sure. I think it may all boil down to what the club have to offer and what his family want to do.

As far as i remember Fraser, Cowie, Black, Proctor, McBain, Vigurs, Wood, Zander and Djebi-Zadi all have expiring contracts come the summer with Barrys expiring in January.

[Guest CaleyJAGGIE]

i reckon black will stay.. but i dont no about cowie apparently leeds, and rangers r after him.

[Pele_Is_God]

Yeah I agree, I think Black will stay and Cowie will go. I would personally miss Black more, he oozes class when he's on his game.

[tokelyisvictorious]

I'd like to see a few players hipped out and money plunged into keeping both cowie and black, they work well together in midfield and are possibly our 2 best player s ever (in terms of skill and technical ability).

[Alex MacLeod]

i know that barrowman gets more than 1300 a week which is a complete joke, i think that lad would struggle in the first division nevermind the spl. honestly the worse the player you are at caley the higher they seem to get paid...the club really do **** up on wages, the club clearly don't pay the players that actually deserve a wage, it's completely back to front. as for the youngers they would be better of working at tesco's. its actually embarassing the wages the players get paid compared to similar sized clubs as us. we are the lowest paying club in the spl by quite a bit.

I am led to believe that our young players, those not on first team contracts, are paid the same as every other club pays. I dont have a clue how much but think its a little more than minimum wage requirements which is ?3.53 p/h for under 18's, ?4.77 18-21. Are our youngsters classed as apprentices?

[Guest Spectre]

I'd like to see a few players hipped out and money plunged into keeping both cowie and black, they work well together in midfield and are possibly our 2 best player s ever (in terms of skill and technical ability).

Well I agree with wanting to keep those two, but I don't see we can survive with a smaller squad, 26 with 2 on loan and including Brewster.

[Kingsmills]

I too have a funny feeling that Black will stay and that Cowie will go. It would be great to keep both of them but, in my opinion, it's essential that we keep at least one of them.

[strathyjags]

i know that barrowman gets more than 1300 a week which is a complete joke

i know he gets about ?120 more than that a week basic,before win bonuses

[Jay_7]

Black quoted in Tuesdays Courier as saying:

"My agent hasn't heard anything from the club, so all I'm doing is concentrating on playing football," said the Edinburgh-born player who has made over 120 appearances for Inverness. "I don't think I've let it affect my performances and I'm sure that if I keep up my consistency then everything will be fine."

Just what exactly is Bennet doing?!

[Alex MacLeod]

i know that barrowman gets more than 1300 a week which is a complete joke

i know he gets about ?120 more than that a week basic,before win bonuses

Wont make much on bonus's then.

[davieB]

Black quoted in Tuesdays Courier as saying:

"My agent hasn't heard anything from the club, so all I'm doing is concentrating on playing football," said the Edinburgh-born player who has made over 120 appearances for Inverness. "I don't think I've let it affect my performances and I'm sure that if I keep up my consistency then everything will be fine."

Just what exactly is Bennet doing?!

If that's true then it beggars belief. I think it was Esson saying after the Killie game how Blackie is the lynchpin in the team, the one who everything goes through, and how important a player he is. And we appear to be fecking him around :thumb04: