vastman wrote:
Ok, I'll run with you on this one.
Two big issues,
One, I've had a number of discussions with fans on here and the misunderstanding regarding transfer fees still seems to elude them. How many times can you drag a horse (pun) to water, transfer fees are as rare as rocking horse (another pun) poop and have been since freedom of contract came in during the early 1990s.
For instance, Tom Johnstone, a truly awesome talent IMO will be out of contract this time next year. By that time he may finally be fit and of had a wow of a season, yet should he choose to leave we will get nothing for him unless a club breaks ranks and makes an early bid as Leeds did with Gareth Ellis. To rub salt into the wounds he will probably play brilliantly for his new club and never get injured, whilst for us through no fault of his own, he's spent 50% of his career on a sickbed. But we accept that, it's how it goes and tbf we have had the same good luck ourselves with certain players on occasions. Swings and roundabouts.
Two, London is supposed to be an expansion club and one of its more lofty aims was to brush away the 'Northern' stereotype, yet not for the first time one of your number chooses to actually do the opposite and stereotype other fans as 'Northerners'. I'm not a 'Northerner' not that it should matter. Counterproductive for a club that needs all the friends it can get wouldn't you say?
On point 1 you’re pushing on an open door with me. I have taken the point. Any ‘ fees’ paid except in exceptional circumstances are, I suspect, purely nominal to assuage hurt feelings. If any ‘fee’ was paid for Battye it would have been of this type I am sure.
On point 2 I suspect most on here have fairly warm feelings to the North either having come from there originally or studied there or have friends or family there. I wouldn’t take it to heart. I found Wakefield and it’s people when I visited to be fine. As many have said the ground was not great but it had atmosphere which is the main thing.
