Goodbye and Good luck - Aden Flint gone, official (Merged)

[Luxo Jr.]

1 minute ago, WolfOfWestStreet said:

Hate the term "good business". It's only good if you reinvest in a superior replacement. 

Hands up if you trust us to actually go and do that! 

*hand up*

And that's also not true. We could have signed 3 decent but not superior strikers after selling Kodjia for a huge fee, it would still have been good business.

[rjt87]

Not the best news coming into the new campaign but Nathan Baker has always gave his all. Dosnt offer the goal that flinty now and then does but always been stable, not all lost in my eyes 

[Super]

Might be a good time for the club to announce Albert!

[BRISTOL86]

Just now, Phileas Fogg said:

Haha, I’d almost enjoy that in a masochistic sort of way. Would be THE biggest OTIB meltdown in the history of OTIB meltdowns. 

Thing is we’ve heard it all before. 

Well never replace Kodjia

Tammy

We’ll never replace Tammy

Bobby

We’ll never replace Bobby

Diony (just kidding  )

The hyperbole on here is unbearable at times. 

Simply put....

We are a relatively small fish. When players outgrow the fish bowl, inevitably more financially powerful and reputable clubs will come in to lure them into bigger waters. 

That’s just life with football and EVERY club is a selling club bar the handful of absolutely elite clubs. FFS even the champions of England couldn’t retain their best player in recent years. 

 

[fishy]

5 minutes ago, hodge said:

I think if it had been £7m even without add ons it would have been just about right, relying on boro to be promoted for another £2m is a risk. 

You may be right.  I just think for a player with 4 yrs on his contract that unless Flinty wanted out (and he may well have done), then either make the value so high that you can get at least 3 decent players out of it or he stays.  It just seems that selling a solid CB to a rival in the championship seems a bit nuts.  1 year on his contract then fair enough, but 4?  

I forgot the second part of the equation.  Relying on the MA to buy a decent replacement

 

[WolfOfWestStreet]

25 minutes ago, Luxo Jr. said:

*hand up*

Fair play I admire your confidence. 

[milo1111]

27 minutes ago, Luxo Jr. said:

This is why I don't go on here really any more - any decision made by the club, even ones that appear smart after a bit of thought, are instantly labelled as another reason why the club is "failing", mainly because we went on a losing run over Easter. It's not like we've messed him about with his contract and letting him go for free.

It's just not realistic to expect every player to want to stay at City for their whole career, and it's not a failure by the club if that's the case. We've made progress this season gone, let's just wait and see before condemning every bit of business we do, especially before we know any of the details at all.

Great post. And especially before we know what the club does with the spond’s... if we spend it on poor replacements fair enough but give them a chance first.

[chinapig]

1 minute ago, Johnny Musicworks said:

Not surprised except at the fee. It’s possible that when Flint signed a new contract that he had a release clause, now activated.

After ‘talk’ of £9m it does seem as Boro have got a good deal, and Swindon will no doubt be happy with maybe £1m approx out of it.

Well whatever it should now start the domino effect, and would expect a 23/24 year old replacement, maybe the Portsmouth guy that has been mentioned before. Hoping Bobby and Joe go to the Premier League rather than rivals though.

It's what negotiation is about. You have an opening position (say £9m) and a fall back position (say £7m). Boro would have had their own positions, starting at £5m say.

Taking all the factors into account, it looks likely that the clubs have agreed at the value that represents both their fall back positions.

[Lrrr]

1 minute ago, fishy said:

You may be right.  I just think for a player with 4 yrs on his contract that unless Flinty wanted out (and he may well have done), then either make the value so high that you can get at least 3 decent players out of it or he stays.  It just seems that selling a solid CB to a rival in the championship seems a bit nuts.  1 year on his contract then fair enough, but 4?

 

Personal opinion nothing to back it up, but I think we probably agreed a deal with Flint that he could leave if we didn't get promoted

[ZiderEyed]

Just now, rjt87 said:

Not the best news coming into the new campaign but Nathan Baker has always gave his all. Dosnt offer the goal that flinty now and then does but always been stable, not all lost in my eyes 

Certainly not all lost but it hardly sets the tone for a good season.

I worry about the stability of the LJ/MA regime if we get off to a bad start. Couple of million spunked on nothingness should have SL frothing at the mouth. One of them will leave if, 15 games in, we're around the relegation places imo.

(Not saying I want or don't want it to happen but their heads are on the chopping block properly if the spine of the side goes and we go backwards a long way on the pitch. These things take time and all that. Don't think it'll wash)

[ChippenhamRed]

27 minutes ago, Luxo Jr. said:

He's 29. It would show a lack of ambition for us to try and cling onto an ageing centre back and not look for a replacement. It would show a lack of ambition to ignore a decent offer when we get one.

Aging?! 29 is about peak for a CB. Pace was never a major part of Flint’s game anyway; he could easily play another 5 years at Championship level.

Disappointed with £5m for a goal scoring centre back with proven credentials at this level.

[RedRock]

Run out of ‘like’ but Ole’s post is spot on.

I think Flinty did want out. It was pretty clear from January onwards that he felt the Club’s ambition did not match his own. That his effort at improving his game was greater than the Club’s efforts to push us forward.

It all goes back to the calamitous January transfer window dealings. 

How those responsible for that shambles have survived is beyond me. Not only did we blow promotion, we are now losing the spine of the team because of the ineptitude of those responsible for recruitment. 

Joe, who similarly looked totally pissed off and Bobby who - to his credit kept going - will be the next two. That leaves us - with a couple of exceptions - the LJ/MA spinelesss lightweights team which by their own admission are not leaders and, in my view, not winners either.

Pathetic frankly. 

[fishy]

1 minute ago, hodge said:

Personal opinion nothing to back it up, but I think we probably agreed a deal with Flint that he could leave if we didn't get promoted

I concur

[Andy082005]

1 minute ago, lenred said:

It makes no sense at all. I can only think that for whatever reason that LJ was happy to ‘sanction’ him leaving. Or in other words wanted him out. Another strong character off the staff list. May be clutching at straws but it’s the one of the  only reasons I can think of that makes any sense atm. 

I'm glad someone else has said it 

I know for a fact at least one of the four (Pack, Reid, Flint and Bryan) have wanted out since January as they seriously questioned the club's ambition .

Its such a shame we have a manager in charge who can't get better players to believe in him and his philosophy

[Lew-T]

I’m devastated. Absolutely adore the bloke!

The thing that worries me is that we could have got £100m for him and the board will still spunk that on crocks of shite. 

I wouldn’t trust these lot with a fiver to buy me a mars bar!

 

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, Moor2Sea said:

Run out of ‘like’ but Ole’s post is spot on.

I think Flinty did want out. It was pretty clear from January onwards that he felt the Club’s ambition did not match his own. That his effort at improving his game was greater than the Club’s efforts to push us forward.

It all goes back to the calamitous January transfer window dealings. 

How those responsible for that shambles have survived is beyond me. Not only did we blow promotion, we are now losing the spine of the team because of the ineptitude of those responsible for recruitment. 

Joe, who similarly looked totally pissed off and Bobby who - to his credit kept going - will be the next two. That leaves us - with a couple of exceptions - the LJ/MA spinelesss lightweights team which by their own admission are not leaders and, in my view, not winners either.

Pathetic frankly. 

Define 'Blow Promotion'

No guarantees at all- you had 4, 5 sides averaging at or close to the magic 2 points a game mark in the 2nd half of the season- top 2 possibly would have been beyond us.

If you mean though blow playoffs, I fully agree- but can't accept that we were anything like nailed on for top 2 at any time.

A quick look at the table after 23 and 46 games confirms about top 2 perhaps being beyond us:

• Wolves- P23 PTS54 (Ended on 99- 45 pts from 2nd half of season, took foot off pedal a bit after title wrapped up).
• Cardiff P23 PTS47 (Ended on 90- 43 points from 23 which is not far off 2nd place type form ).
• Fulham P23 PTS32 (Ended on 88- frankly ridiculous 2nd half of season- 56 from 23).
• Villa P23 PTS38 (Ended on 83- Again all but 2 ppg, 45 from 23 for the record basically automatic form).
• Boro P23 PTS35 (Ended on 76- which is a very strong 41 in half a season, not far off auto form).

Of course too, Millwall getting 46 from 23 was somewhat of a shock- the biggest shock! They had 26 at the halfway stage, yet outperformed most of the League in the 2nd half.

In that context, little evidence to say we blew promotion as such- playoffs otoh? Very much so.

[ZiderEyed]

3 minutes ago, BRISTOL86 said:

Thing is we’ve heard it all before. 

Well never replace Kodjia

Tammy

We’ll never replace Tammy

Bobby

We’ll never replace Bobby

Diony (just kidding  )

The hyperbole on here is unbearable at times. 

Simply put....

We are a relatively small fish. When players outgrow the fish bowl, inevitably more financially powerful and reputable clubs will come in to lure them into bigger waters. 

That’s just life with football and EVERY club is a selling club bar the handful of absolutely elite clubs. FFS even the champions of England couldn’t retain their best player in recent years. 

 

I don't think anyone is arguing against that. Morons aside we all accept our best players will leave because the lure of money and premiership ambitions are too great.

I think the worry comes from a transfer "team" with a worryingly poor track record and the task of replacing one of the most talismanic players we've had in the 21st century.

[Loosey Boy]

Be interesting to see who we replace Flinty with!

Or, perhaps LJ will go with the CB’s we already have and invest elsewhere?

Afterall, the signing of Baker was surely made on the basis that we expected AF to go last summer?

Flinty will be missed but we cannot hide from the fact that he ain’t getting any younger!

[generation1]

your name is Flint , you are offered an increase in wages plus a large signing on fee , also as you did not ask for the transfer a large slice of the fee.

do you A SAY NO OR B SAY AT MY AGE THAT SETS ME UP NICELY

maybe what the player wanted had some bearing. maybe he signed the new contract with an agreement that he had the final say

[Luxo Jr.]

1 minute ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Aging?! 29 is about peak for a CB. Pace was never a major part of Flint’s game anyway; he could easily play another 5 years at Championship level.

Disappointed with £5m for a goal scoring centre back with proven credentials at this level.

Exactly, peak. As in, we'll never get more money for him than now, and he'll only get worse. It just makes sense for us to reinvest. If we were signing a 29 year old defender with Championship experience for the fees being quoted, there would be a hell of a lot of raised eyebrows.

[lenred]

Just now, Andy082005 said:

I'm glad someone else has said it 

I know for a fact at least one of the four (Pack, Reid, Flint and Bryan) have wanted out since January as they seriously questioned the club's ambition .

Its such a shame we have a manager in charge who can't get better players to believe in him and his philosophy

Maybe I was a bit harsh but it seems such an absolutely pathetic deal that if LJ didn’t want him to go then he wouldn’t go. End of. Not for that money and only 6 months or so after signing a new contract with 3 years left on it. 

[Dolman_Stand]

Just now, ZiderEyed said:

I don't think anyone is arguing against that. Morons aside we all accept our best players will leave because the lure of money and premiership ambitions are too great.

I think the worry comes from a transfer "team" with a worryingly poor track record and the task of replacing one of the most talismanic players we've had in the 21st century.

Until January the recruitment has generally been good IMO

[RedRock]

5 minutes ago, rjt87 said:

Not the best news coming into the new campaign but Nathan Baker has always gave his all. Dosnt offer the goal that flinty now and then does but always been stable, not all lost in my eyes 

Gave his all, unless he didn’t want to give his all. Flinty an ever-present injury free player with a great disciplinary record.

Baker on the other hand?

I think for some people - including our inept management team - it’ll be a case you don’t know what you’ve got ‘TIL it’s gone. 

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Aging?! 29 is about peak for a CB. Pace was never a major part of Flint’s game anyway; he could easily play another 5 years at Championship level.

Disappointed with £5m for a goal scoring centre back with proven credentials at this level.

It's also the peak of his value and, from his point of view, the peak of his earning potential. Neither we nor Flint are going to make that kind of money at some later stage.

[Olé]

10 minutes ago, ZiderEyed said:

EDIT: How do you manage to make every line the same length though?

Well done for spotting. I have OCD (seriously) about the length of lines in anything that I type.

My emails have long been a running joke at work. People think it's some weird form of poetry.

Loving your new avatar but I do have to ask, who did Flint murder and when was he in prison?

[Flagon]

The one thing I wanted this summer is that deals like this are sorted quickly and not dragged out over the whole window. We can instantly start preparing without him.

Did fantastic for us in his time here. Will be missed but nobody is really irreplaceable.

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, Luxo Jr. said:

Exactly, peak. As in, we'll never get more money for him than now, and he'll only get worse. It just makes sense for us to reinvest. If we were signing a 29 year old defender with Championship experience for the fees being quoted, there would be a hell of a lot of raised eyebrows.

Oops, beat me to it by seconds. And I was quick off the mark when I played centre half about 100 years ago. 

[ZiderEyed]

Just now, Dolman_Stand said:

Until January the recruitment has generally been good IMO

It hasn't.

There's been more than enough posts on here that show the scale of the problem. I think @Davefevs had a graph on here that showed how many players could be considered 'failures', 'successes' and 'in between/development players'. (Might not have been Dave but someone will know what I'm on about and post it). Not to mention the rumours from very trustworthy posters about Ashton's "overinvolvement" in the transfer dealings.

There were a great deal more failures than there were successes and that is the origin of my worry going in to the new season. With a whacking great amount of money I'm very concerned we'll end up with a team of expensive Scandinavians.

I would love nothing more than to be proved wrong.

[Alan Dicks]

35 minutes ago, Sturny said:

Imagine this forum if we lose Flint, Bobby and Bryan in the space of a week.

 

Many tears and rightfully so 

May as well lose them all this week rather than a week before the new season.

[Top Robin]

Dare I say that we may replace him with a better player who isnt prone to the odd howler.