Chris Martin

[cidercity1987]

47 minutes ago, The hand of RO'D said:

This screams to me that we won’t be spending any money this summer.

I don't know how you can come to that conclusion when a player who had an option to extend his contract has extended his contract. We had no say whether we wanted him to stay or not

[Northern Red]

4 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

That was my initial view, but why waste the salary when it could be used for someone who comes in as a first team striker

And how much money do you think one of them would cost?

[Jerseybean]

EP coverage: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-nigel-pearson-contract-6818433

 

[Taz]

2 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

I don't know how you can come to that conclusion when a player who had an option to extend his contract has extended his contract. We had no say whether we wanted him to stay or not

Also remember the last time Wilbraham extended his contract? That was an option IIRC, and he left not long after as he got an offer from Bolton, with a better chance of minutes. He wasn't going to be first choice so the club agreed to let him go. All very amicable.

This doesn't automatically mean that Martin is going to be first choice next summer, and neither does it mean that he won't get someone offer him a longer/better contract in the coming months. 

It also doesn't mean that we aren't looking at better options for next season. It's an option on his contract that he was entitled to trigger. Simples.

[Sheltons Army]

16 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

And how much money do you think one of them would cost?

There’s no FFP on Football Manager !

[robin for life]

The article in the post is pretty clear We had the option to extend it by one year if we wanted to. Not Martin could extend it if he wanted to. Pearson has stated its about rewarding his play. Its not an extension based on appearances and so on, its basically, that we could trigger an extra year on the same terms in his final season of contract if they wanted to. Basically when Martin signed here, he agreed terms and wages and so on, and would have had in place, that in the final year of the contract, the contract can be renewed on the same terms for another 12 months if the club wanted to. That will mean next year is again his final year of contract, so next season if we wanted to, we could renew it on the same terms. A lot of older players sign contracts like this, as they dont have to renegotiate wages with clubs to extend a contract. I,e say you sign at 30, and 3 years later you're out of contract, the club may offer you less money to stay, so quite often a player leaves to look for a new role. The way Martin has done it means that he agrees a 2 year deal on x amount a week, but makes it clear I am happy to see my career out on these terms, as long as he stays fit, plays well and is deemed value for that wage the club will keep extending it and he's got a contract he's happy with. Had he wanted a 4 or 5 year deal a couple of years ago, the club wouldn't have signed him, but by agreeing a 2 year deal, with a standard activation clause to renew on the same terms for another year in the final 12 months at the clubs request, he could end up getting 4 or 5 years at a club and see out his career on the terms he wanted, because he's played well and been good value to the club. Quite a few 30yo+ players do deals like this if they know their legs will hold up and they want to play and are not greedy. I seem to recall Barry Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday is on a rolling contract now, he signed for 2 years with a year add on each year if the club wanted it. When they got relegated I remember reading he didn't know if Sheff Wed could honour is contract and offered to be sold if they wanted him to leave, but stated his desire to play. 

Its all about whether a player is looking for a pay day, or a play day!

Edited March 17, 2022 by robin for life

[steveybadger]

1 hour ago, Sturny said:

This is good, aren’t we 4th top goal scoring team? He’s been a part of that all season.  I’d be okay with it if our attack stays the same in the summer. We just need to fix the defence 

We were a while back but not now

[Son of Fred]

1 hour ago, Sturny said:

I’d be okay with it if our attack stays the same in the summer.

Great that he's staying...

Although we also badly need some pace..

[IAmNick]

Will probably get 10 - 12 goals this season, half that many assists, and a huge part of an attack that is the reason we've survived this year.

Second most minutes on the pitch as well... not to be sniffed at with this squad. I'm pleased.

8 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

There’s no FFP on Football Manager !

There absolutely is! Think people don't realise how complex those games are these days...

[robin for life]

Nothing wrong with our strike force in Wiemann, Martin, Wells & Semenyo and Conway breaking through. I think if Wells had more minutes he would prove that rotating Martin and himself is a way forward and would enable us to blood in Conway. If Semenyo is sold, we may have to add one more, but then thats a bridge to cross if it happens. 

[JoeAman08]

Another step in the me not getting season card next season. If you thought we couldn’t defend from front with Famara watch Martin close people down. Not even that great at holding the ball up and no one can read his flick ons so what is the point? Waste of money this. The state of the club if we will only sign better players yet need to rely on 33 year old Martin for another season. 

[Sheltons Army]

26 minutes ago, IAmNick said:

Will probably get 10 - 12 goals this season, half that many assists, and a huge part of an attack that is the reason we've survived this year.

Second most minutes on the pitch as well... not to be sniffed at with this squad. I'm pleased.

There absolutely is! Think people don't realise how complex those games are these days...

He’s not necessarily at his peak , but I was only thinking the other night it’s a shame we couldn’t (understandably) take a gamble on Afobe

But Afobe has a very similar record to CM this season in shots per game , goals pg , passing success etc , but CM has managed nearly %25 more game time than Afobe

He’s not a Mitrovic , or a dazzling jewel , but Id say the best finisher at the Club and probably appreciated by AS and AW at least 

Basically the same as a free signing for next season, and if we can find better cheaper , good luck IMO , 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Sheltons Army

[GrahamC]

1 hour ago, The hand of RO'D said:

This screams to me that we won’t be spending any money this summer.

It’s almost as if that £38.4m loss never happened, isn’t it.

FFS.

What it “screams” to me is that we need to be extremely wise in what we spend this summer & so offering one more year to a player with a 100% availability record, 9 goals & 4 assists makes lots of sense.

[Clevedon Red]

1 hour ago, The hand of RO'D said:

This screams to me that we won’t be spending any money this summer.

That’s what happens when you have none. 

[IAmNick]

3 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

He’s not necessarily at his peak , but I was only thinking the other night it’s a shame we couldn’t (understandably) take a gamble on Afobe

But Afobe has a very similar record to CM this season in shots per game , goals , passing success etc , but has managed nearly %25 more game time than Afobe

He’s not a Mitrovic , or a dazzling jewel , but Id say the best finisher at the Club and probably appreciated by AS and AW at least 

Basically the same as a free signing for next season, and if we can find better cheaper , good luck IMO , 

Yeah I agree. He's a solid 6 out of 10 pretty much every game for me, and more often a 7/8 than a 5 if he's not. That's just what we're missing at the moment... a few more of them around the team to allow for the inconsistent kids and we'd be in a much better place.

Didn't realise that about his Afobe comparison, interesting!

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Would presume his original 2 year deal contained an extension clause in it based on appearances, which seeing as he has been in the squad for 100% of our league games (yes, but Dave Rennie is no better than Andy Rolls ) he has easily achieved.

Deserves it, the debate about having an alternative to him isn’t his issue, it’s the club’s.

Announced as “club option”, but it’s possible Martin might’ve asked for his own terms to be included too, just not publicly announced by club (or him).

Today, club said “contract extension”, they didn’t say they’ve exercised their option.  So it is possible that they’ve done exactly that (exercised his option), or Martin’s own terms were triggered, or something else.  I suspect it is a club exercised option though, I.e. Pearson wants to keep him.

1 hour ago, 2015 said:

Good news if he is going to be used as a rotation/squad player. Bad news if he is to be used every single game in 2022/23 and if that's the case I fear the Summer ahead.

Agree.

1 hour ago, The hand of RO'D said:

This screams to me that we won’t be spending any money this summer.

Yep, I’m ok with with that if we recruit smartly.

14 minutes ago, robin for life said:

The article in the post is pretty clear We had the option to extend it by one year if we wanted to. Not Martin could extend it if he wanted to. Pearson has stated its about rewarding his play. Its not an extension based on appearances and so on, its basically, that we could trigger an extra year on the same terms in his final season of contract if they wanted to. Basically when Martin signed here, he agreed terms and wages and so on, and would have had in place, that in the final year of the contract, the contract can be renewed on the same terms for another 12 months if the club wanted to. That will mean next year is again his final year of contract, so next season if we wanted to, we could renew it on the same terms. A lot of older players sign contracts like this, as they dont have to renegotiate wages with clubs to extend a contract. I,e say you sign at 30, and 3 years later you're out of contract, the club may offer you less money to stay, so quite often a player leaves to look for a new role. The way Martin has done it means that he agrees a 2 year deal on x amount a week, but makes it clear I am happy to see my career out on these terms, as long as he stays fit, plays well and is deemed value for that wage the club will keep extending it and he's got a contract he's happy with. Had he wanted a 4 or 5 year deal a couple of years ago, the club wouldn't have signed him, but by agreeing a 2 year deal, with a standard activation clause to renew on the same terms for another year in the final 12 months at the clubs request, he could end up getting 4 or 5 years at a club and see out his career on the terms he wanted, because he's played well and been good value to the club. Quite a few 30yo+ players do deals like this if they know their legs will hold up and they want to play and are not greedy. I seem to recall Barry Bannan at Sheffield Wednesday is on a rolling contract now, he signed for 2 years with a year add on each year if the club wanted it. When they got relegated I remember reading he didn't know if Sheff Wed could honour is contract and offered to be sold if they wanted him to leave, but stated his desire to play. 

Its all about whether a player is looking for a pay day, or a play day!

That’s the article in the post though, not what club put out.  The post doesn’t say we (club) triggered our option, just says there was one.  2+2 probably does equal 4 in this case, but we can’t be 100% sure.

[redsquirrel]

im glad, hes an important part of our forward gears, the only part that works consistantly. its the middle and back lines need educating/replacing, whichever is successful

[Davefevs]

9 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

He’s not necessarily at his peak , but I was only thinking the other night it’s a shame we couldn’t (understandably) take a gamble on Afobe

But Afobe has a very similar record to CM this season in shots per game , goals , passing success etc , but has managed nearly %25 more game time than Afobe

He’s not a Mitrovic , or a dazzling jewel , but Id say the best finisher at the Club and probably appreciated by AS and AW at least 

Basically the same as a free signing for next season, and if we can find better cheaper , good luck IMO , 

Afobe likely to be on higher wages and a loan fee too at Millwall.  Free in the summer, my Millwall work colleague thinks he will sign for them.

[cidercity1987]

1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

Announced as “club option”, but it’s possible Martin might’ve asked for his own terms to be included too, just not publicly announced by club (or him).

Today, club said “contract extension”, they didn’t say they’ve exercised their option.  So it is possible that they’ve done exactly that (exercised his option), or Martin’s own terms were triggered, or something else.  I suspect it is a club exercised option though, I.e. Pearson wants to keep him.

Agree.

Yep, I’m ok with with that if we recruit smartly.

That’s the article in the post though, not what club put out.  The post doesn’t say we (club) triggered our option, just says there was one.  2+2 probably does equal 4 in this case, but we can’t be 100% sure.

Player option according to the BBC

Chris Martin: Bristol City sign Derby County striker on two-year deal - BBC Sport

Martin has the option of extending his two-year contract at Ashton Gate by another 12 months

 

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, cidercity1987 said:

Player option according to the BBC

Chris Martin: Bristol City sign Derby County striker on two-year deal - BBC Sport

Martin has the option of extending his two-year contract at Ashton Gate by another 12 months

 

Haha, the plot thicketh.

The initial announcement is unclear when reading back!!

Doesn’t say “club option” either!

[cidercity1987]

Just now, Davefevs said:

Haha, the plot thicketh.

The initial announcement is unclear when reading back!!

Doesn’t say “club option” either!

I always thought it was his option to be fair and the 'Martin extends City stay' headline on BCFC today is a certain phraseology

[Davefevs]

Just now, cidercity1987 said:

I always thought it was his option to be fair and the 'Martin extends City stay' headline on BCFC today is a certain phraseology

Fair play to you.

Its unusual if that was the case, although going back to GrahamC’s point, if it was something like “if you play 25 games you can extend on current terms” that would be more logical.

[Top Robin]

If that's the level we aspire to then so be it.....that's why we won't progress in this division. 

Kalas is the same...good enough for us but not a good player.

[Northern Red]

Genuinely think that the only way that a significant chunk of our fanbase might wake up to the reality of the financial situation is if we get hit with a points deduction and/or transfer embargo.

And even then, there'd be some who still wouldn't get it.

[One Team]

2 hours ago, petehinton said:

Don’t know how anyone can not see that this makes complete sense in literally every way. 
 

Played loads of minutes, scored really important goals, key player from defending set pieces (even though he shouldn’t be), and an extremely experienced pro that’ll help the youngsters. Would cost a pretty penny trying to replace him if we were to let him go. 

Spot on Pete. He’s made a decent contribution since joining and scored some key goals. 

[RedRock]

One can only hope that his ‘performance’ last Tuesday is not what we can expect moving forwards. Otherwise, it’s yet another passenger burning wages and risking the Club’s future.

Maybe not Martin’s fault though, which in a way is equally worrying, in that our experienced Manager thinks the guy is up to three matches a week… and he is clearly not.

Would I kick him off the bus? Yes, if we had a scouting system I could trust and we could bring in a younger Conference player of similar ilk. I’ve zero confidence in that system though so, maybe a case of better the devil you know. Would just hope the penny has finally dropped with our Manager and he now recognises Martin’s ‘game minutes’ limitations. 
 

Looks like an exciting season ahead where treading water is our goal. 

[Street red]

2 hours ago, The hand of RO'D said:

This screams to me that we won’t be spending any money this summer.

What money? Unless we sell at least 2 to 3 players.

[petehinton]

18 minutes ago, RedRock said:

One can only hope that his ‘performance’ last Tuesday is not what we can expect moving forwards. Otherwise, it’s yet another passenger burning wages and risking the Club’s future.

Maybe not Martin’s fault though, which in a way is equally worrying, in that our experienced Manager thinks the guy is up to three matches a week… and he is clearly not.

Would I kick him off the bus? Yes, if we had a scouting system I could trust and we could bring in a younger Conference player of similar ilk. I’ve zero confidence in that system though so, maybe a case of better the devil you know. Would just hope the penny has finally dropped with our Manager and he now recognises Martin’s ‘game minutes’ limitations. 
 

Looks like an exciting season ahead where treading water is our goal. 

that last point is the one. IF we had a scouting system. We basically don't, well we didn't for last summer anyway. No doubt a big reason we basically had to re-sign Baker and Weimann, and brougjht in King/Simpson/James were because there was quite literally no other options that could be put to Pearson after Ashton took away our entire 'scouting' team.

[Sturny]

17 minutes ago, Top Robin said:

If that's the level we aspire to then so be it.....that's why we won't progress in this division. 

Kalas is the same...good enough for us but not a good player.

Otib won’t like that one.

I find when a championship club is happy to stay mid table in the championship it means they’re in some danger of going down, or have plenty rubbish displays like we’ve seen this season. we reek of that attitude, it’s just not a very exciting time to be a fan. 5 years ago there was an ambitious vibe about us, I don’t get those same vibes at all. It’s more like we’re clinging on. When people blame stuff on kalas I laugh, he’s clearly surrounded by poor players, I actually feel sorry for him. 

[LondonBristolian]

Ultimately I think this makes sense. We're arguably a striker light - depending on how ready Conway and Bell are and whether Weimann is being used elsewhere on the pitch. Martin has obvious limitations but he's nowhere near the top of the list of players I'd like to see moved on. Bottom line is I'm not convinced we could replace him with someone of the same quality without spending more money and there are other areas where there is a pressing need to spend whatever money - if any at all - that we do have. 

People have talked about getting a conference or lower league striker in but any League Two or Conference striker who is at Championship level may not be available at the bargain price some assume. Let's not forget we were being quoted £1 million for Michael Smith from Rotherham over the summer. I know that's League One rather the conference but, if a £1 million is the price for a League One journeyman, it gives a sense of where the market is for strikers.