Often Partisan

Four More to Go?

It was reported today in the Birmingham Mail Blues have made Marlon King, Darren Ambrose, Peter Lovenkrands and Hayden Mullins available for free transfer. The quartet have been told that they are free to find another club for the new season as Blues look to slash their wage bill further.

Judging by the immediate reaction of some online this news has come as a shock to some – however I have to admit my complete lack of surprise. Blues are in well-known and publicised financial difficulties and there is no doubt in my mind that any of the quartet are on less than 12-15k per week – which equates to a hefty £2.4mil to £3mil next season. Blues are not in a position just to release the players as it would involve paying up contracts so they’ve done what they can to shift them off the wage bill.

Of the four, Marlon King is the one that has produced the most angst and ire on the forums and on social media. King has been top scorer in each of his two seasons at Blues and it’s easy to see why people are angry that we are going to let him go for nothing – players who can guarantee you 15 goals a season at this level aren’t exactly ten-a-penny. However, I can see the rationale for it – he’s 33 and his knee injury is obviously a worry now having missed four months of last season with it. Furthermore, and I understand that this is a controversial opinion, I think Blues are a better side without Marlon King.

I don’t believe that there is any coincidence that the run of half-decent results Blues had in the latter half of last season coincided with King being out of the team. Whilst the London-born Jamaican is undoubtedly the best finisher at the club, I don’t think that he’s a team player and the rumour is he’s not liked within the squad or management. The stats back it up to a degree too – Blues record with King last season is W8-D11-L8 – 35 points from 27 games or 1.296pts per game; whereas without King, Blues clocked up W7-D5-L7 – 26 points from 19 games or 1.368pts per game. It will hurt to let him go to a rival Championship side for nothing but I believe it is the right decision.

I don’t think the other three can have any complaints. When I wrote my player-by-player analysis of last season I did say that if I was in the position to do so, I’d look to move on all three players on frees because I didn’t think they added to the team for the value they cost. What worries is me is that I don’t think anyone else will take them on, bearing in mind their respective ages and injury records and the club could end up being forced to keep them for another year or trying to come to some sort of compromise agreement to pay them off just to get them off the books – costing more money that the club just cannot afford.

We can be under no illusions – the next season is not going to be easy. Hopefully this news will reinforce to Blues fans just how bad things are financially, and thus give them the reason to back what players and management we do have next season. On the plus side, whilst people might complain that we should never have signed Mullins, Ambrose and Lovenkrands at least Clark is doing his best to move them on to bring in new players who may do better.

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119 Responses to “Four More to Go?”

  • james says:

    Totally agree. We hav got to back LC in his ideas plus the lack of funds he has to work with.

  • JohnR says:

    Only disagree with one point and that is letting King go on a free. You say yourself a 15 goal a season striker is hard to find at this level and I have no doubt we could get a fee for him. Even if it was only £250k it would be enough to buy Caddis !!

    • almajir says:

      I honestly don’t think any side would pay for him because of his age, his fitness record and his history

      • Paul Carter says:

        I agree Dan although I know where John is coming from.

        What irks me about Caddis is the small fee in relation to Zigic and Pannus wages.

        Make no bones about it whilst most are agreeing with all these movements if that manifests itself in losing games and being near or in the bottom 3 the boo boys will have a field day.

        What all this also shows is who is leading this club through some of its darkest times. That man is Lee Clark. He encompasses the Blues spirit most of us recognise, is not weak and will not buckle or shirk his responsibility.

        KRO Lee

      • bluenose 11 says:

        didnt wolves offer a fee ?

  • Evesham blue says:

    Can we get rid of them tho? Most probably no

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Maybe Crystal Palace will come in for Ambrose? They need someone to replace Zaha and, although he’s a different kind of player, they know him well at Palace, and they will get a player who will fit in easily (having only been away one season,) and we will have paid them to have him back (last season’s transfer fee.) Win win all round. Holloway may fancy KIng too. His age certainly won’t be a problem (Kevin Phillips, Barry Ferguson?) Just a thought.

  • the timms says:

    When I first read that these 4 were going my immediate reaction was good! (for Lovekrans, Mullins and Ambrose at least) but horrified at the thought of King leaving, until I read the rest of this article. That’s a very good point about us playing better without King, so all in all if him leaving helps then go for it! One thing’s for sure though as soon as he comes back with another club I’d back my house on him being the first to score!

    The others are terrible so let’s hope some sucker comes in for them.

    I actually share your views on next season; I am quite excited by it actually, the new signings all look pretty good considering they’re free; although I’m not convinced about Novak, but I’ve been wrong 100 times or more! I’ll be renewing my ST when I get paid.

  • Blue Steve says:

    Your absolutely right in saying while we have allowed them to leave on a free I can’t think that there will be many takers. Marlon King may attract some interest but the big problem will be that the players will find it difficult to attain a contract better or even the same as what they are on at the moment therefore as we have seen with Zigic they will probably be staying put. When we sign a player now we have to be sure, as there contract is a big financial commitment for the club. Lee Clarks previous summers transfer dealings were obviously poor. After 1 season Ambrose, Mullins and Lovenkrands have already been given free’s. I hope he gives his future signings more consideration,

  • Bluenpenguin76 says:

    Marlon King??….i’m sorry that is a desperate move. The rest of them,fine.

  • Bluemat says:

    I think it shows how opinions differ across football. As i see it i would have kept king, if everything comes back clear with his injury. I’d have liked to see King in the 2nd half of the season when the team had a lot better shape and organisation. King managed to score his goals in a team that was utter garbage at the start of the season, there was no shape, structure or consistency so to my mind i think he would have done better once the team settled down. If anyone can vouch for the positivity of a settled team then its Blues supporters. Maybe he we won’t be the same player after the injury but i would have give him the benefit of the doubt in preseason perhaps. KRO!

  • Evesham blue says:

    Big Zig’s wages have caused many sacrifices to be made. You also know that Davies and/or Redmond will also be sacrificed

    • almajir says:

      Massively so – but he’s not going anywhere…

      • Evesham blue says:

        We have tried every transfer window to get rid but he will run his contract down. LC has given up and is now trying to motivate him. Pull the other one LC you would get rid like a hot brick if he would move

        • StaffsBlue says:

          Lee Clark is making the best of a very bad situation. It’s up to Blues fans to do the same. Clark is NOT the reason Birmingham City are in this dire mess, he’s just a loyal, passionate man who is trying to do his best for you and I and every other Blues fan.

          • Masaccio says:

            Nice response, get behind the man and his team, looking forward to seeing him bring some decent kids through and some ungry players like Shinnie and Novak

          • Staffordshire Blue Nose says:

            So most know that I wasn’t impressed with LC last season and his signings and its come back to bite him. We all know Zigic is killing the club but what I want to know is why haven’t we found a club for Zigic and paid him off? Surely by working out what he was going to get paid by the club he could have joined we pay the difference, saving the club money…… It would be win win surely? I’d also do the same for the 4 if they can’t get the same money at other clubs and I’m not worried any of them leaving because I actually think LC has got a couple of decent players in on free’s and with the young uns it might just be a seaqson to remember

    • chris says:

      Maybe letting these four go may mean we keep Davies and / or Redmond or at least may mean we don’t have to le them go for a song.
      Trouble is i think they will just dig in at Blues because as /Dan and others have said who will want them and they will sit on the bench all season while raking in the dosh.

  • Evesham blue says:

    I don’t agree blues play better without king. He scores goals the logic is flawed. He is being sacrificed due to his salary, his age and his dodgy knee. Mainly his wage

    • Ali Duncan says:

      I have to say that I agree with Dan here. I felt the team looked a better unit without Marlon and I really liked the 5 across the middle and I don’t see how Marlon could fit in with that. At times he looks disinterested and I get frustrated at how often he gets caught offside. The improvement in general performance of the team although clearly not directly down to him was certainly better without him in the side and the points tally also backs this up.

      I’ve liked Marlon and he has done well at the club but I back LC in letting him go.

      • Evesham blue says:

        Played better maybe as a team but I don’t really care if he plays crap as you know he can score. Taking your top scorer out of the team for the last 2 seasons can’t be good really? Someone else has to score the goals now

  • Evesham blue says:

    Perhaps LC has been told he has to offload one or two of them before he can sign Caddis? Perhaps we don’t need to get rid of all of them? Question is why did LC sign the trio and give them longer contracts in the first place? Poor judgement?

  • Blue Steve says:

    This may sound negative but survival next season will be an excellent result. Then in Summer 2014 a large number of high earners will be gone (Zigic, King, Ambrose etc.) and the ownership should surely have been resolved. We will have one final parachute payment of 8 million and a much lower wage bill. KRO.

    • Evesham blue says:

      Think the last parachute pyt is this summer? No parachute payments next year mate but agree large earners will be finally culled 2014. Ownership resolved next year? Hahaha. These Chinese lot are not going anywhere till they get their asking price. I would wager they will still be here. Hopefully I’m proved very wrong

      • Blue Steve says:

        I think they are for 4 years so Summer 2014 will be our last 1 I think. I’m sure Almajir will be able to confirm!

        • chris says:

          to be corrected but i believe it was 16 million in hughtons season with payments in August and January
          16 mill this season under clark in the same two months, the same dates next season for 8 million then the same in 2014-15 season for another 8 million.

    • Rick says:

      You are so right Blue Steve. We need to re-set our expectations from the start next season. If we are going to have a team of low earners from lower leagues thats where we are heading.

      From the very first game we need to fight for every point, and cheer every win dispite the style of play etc. We need to support the team just to stay in the league, not put pressure on a young side for promotion.

      I agree the summer of 2014 could be good as all high earners will be off the wagebill, if we go down, the summer of 2014 could be another bloodbath as we will need to get venerybody earning above 7k or 8k a week of the wage bill as well, so its like a visious circle.

      Calling all Blues fans, re-set you expectations. We are in a fight to survive, and anything above that is a real bonus!

  • Rick says:

    If i read one more article about Zigic and how he loves the club and loves living in Birmingham i am going to go mad. Of course he loves the club, we are the only fools who will pay him £60k a week to do nothing. Of couse he loves Birmingham, if you pay me £3 million a year I would live in a hut in the Amazon for 3 or 4 years and be set up for life.

    I cannot beleive we cant afford King, cant afford £250k for Caddis and everybody is hero worshiping Zigic! We have to get rid of him now!!! Urgent!!!

    Surley we could pay a club £1.5 million somewhere to take him, that would save us £1.5 million we could spend on King, Caddis + 1other!

    • Blue Steve says:

      Sounds like a great plan though I doubt we have the cash flow to do it!

    • Agent McLeish says:

      We’ve done the Ziggy wages thing to death, some much that it’s boring. He was offered his contract BY THE CLUB. No fans at that time were moaning about his salary at the time, no fans were moaning when he scored the goal against Arsenal. It is the responsibility of the club to protect its financial interests not the players and it was a foolish contract to issue. But who agreed and signed it off?? Step forward CY, PP and the Hotpoint spin 1400.

  • mark says:

    Dan- happy about those four possibly moving on…..correct judgement in my imo by Clark….. They had there day regardless of our financial situation…bring in the new……kro

    • Blueboy 88 says:

      Correct judgement by Clark ?

      Lovenkrands, Ambrose and Mullins were all signed by Clark last summer as Blues main, high-profile additions , yet we are all unanimously agreeing we should now release them because they are ineffective & expensive….

  • Steve says:

    So if all these 4 stop plus Zigic does it mean a 10pt deduction at the start of next season?

  • andy says:

    Zigic is a big part of Clark’s plans next season with the big fella relishing the role of helping the younger players in the team, we saw that in the final part of the season and Blues looking a lot better for it. Offloading these four to even out the wage bill is common sense and even though some may have a whinge because Zigic is picking up a huge salary, he certainly is not a dead weight around the club, he will now be the leader of a new look Blues and I for one am looking forward to it.

    • chris says:

      it’s not a whinge to see that one players wages means having to sell other players who are possibly better assets / prospects, like Butland, Mutch, Beausejour, Ridgewell, Dann, Johnson and Foster who all went for a fee whereas Zigic attracts no fee nevermind a taker / buyer.

  • JohnBond says:

    Very good point but I think LCD knows Zigic shocking performance have been noticed no one wants to buy a 6ft8 striker who can’t run, can barely jump a inch off the ground, and is getting older and older we are stuck with him

    • Ali Duncan says:

      I have a feeling that we’ll see the best from Ziggy in a Blues shirt next season. He will be one of the most senior players, will have influence over the younger players, is possibly playing for a contract elsewhere or one even with Blues (finances dependant) and will be the one to lead the line. If he hits the ground running I think he could have a cracking season.

      The cynics amongst us might argue that he’ll take his foot off the pedal as he won’t want to get injured but I think the guy will be 33 this year, has had a decent career and will want to sign off from Blues / English football in style.

      As already mentioned above, I think Lee Clark has big plans for Ziggy this season.

  • oldburyblue says:

    There can be no doubt that LC made big mistakes in buying Mullins, Ambrose and Lovenkrands last year. However, I was like most people I think, excited at the time knowing their past records. They didn’t come off, for whatever reason, so if we can move them on again…do it.

    • harborneblue says:

      Hopefully if we can’t palm them off on someone else they’ll actually raise their game, let’s face it the most anticipated signing last season was Ambrose but what a disappointment he turned out to be!

    • chris says:

      but Pannu for me takes the biggest blame as he agreed these fees and wages and he should have known if he was any good at business, that in a years time we wouldn’t be able to afford them.

  • Atahualpa is a BlueNose says:

    All of this really stinks of absolute desperation.

    Yet PP still thinks he is doing a good job in “keeping the club afloat”??

    Where is the investment?? What oh what is CY discussing with this mysterious “consortium” in mainland China?? When is something real and positive going to happen at the top or within BIHL??

    There is no denying that King is probably a testing player to handle and control. What is undeniable, is that the fella scores goals and is consistent at Championship level. He will more than likely be fit for pre-season and if we could have got another decent return – 20 odd goals – then that would have at least put us in a decent position to at the very least, not get relegated. If there are decent players who can get goals in this league without a contract, surely others will be after their services as well, can we still be sure of signing them??
    We have a readymade goalscorer who we could maybe utilize for another season yet make available for a free transfer. Perplexing.

    Mullins, Ambrose and Lovenkrands is understandable. High earners who will not really feature much.

    But telling King he can go, without a transfer fee to boot – even a nominal one regardless of his wages when he can and will still score goals – is utterly frustrating and difficult to fathom.

    I for one hope that the shares in BIHL get listed and then fall into the “junk” staus – maybe that is what some are waiting for.

  • oldburyblue says:

    I am using the word “buying” in the sense of being at cost and not necessarily meaning Transfer Fees. We all know that even “Frees” come with signing-on fees.

  • Tony says:

    Well so much for Clarks signings, paid good money for Lovenkrands, Ambrose, and 10 -15 grand a week.
    Very poor judgment by Clark, I dont understand this thing that we are a better team without King he scores goals and lots of them thats his job he can do no more.Similar things were said about Jimmy greaves,Geoff Hurst, and most goalscorers, they are not team players by nature.
    Regarding King he leads the team well holds the ball up and brings others into play, I understand about his knee problems but he should have one more year his goals may make the difference with survival.
    One things for sure if we are relying on Kim Novaks goals we will be in big trouble.

    • oldburyblue says:

      I am sure it is possible to go back to last year’s blogs to see what, if anything, you said about the signings last year Tony. Ordinarily I would applaud your forsight if you were negative and have been proven correct, but I suspect being negative is in your DNA anyway. Without me looking…did you make comment at the time or if not, be honest, what were your thoughts at the time. I have been honest enough to say I was wrong.

  • oldburyblue says:

    I really can’t make my mind up about the King situation. I don’t think we can lose either way to be honest. In some ways we stole him from Coventry in the 1st place so will not lose money on him having had a good return for his wages. On the other hand if he stays we still have the chance of him regaining fitness and continuing to be a good Championship goalscorer. I agree with Almajir that I preferred our Team without him, but our preferred strikers are not always going to be available.

  • Richard Granfield says:

    We have (and I do) to have confidence in LC’s decisions. It is clear to me that King, Lovenkrands, Mullins and Ambrose aren’t part of his plans for next season.
    On the incomings front I note that Liverpool have released Danny Wilson a 21 yo 6’2″ central defender who has 5 senior caps for Scotland! Go and get him Lee.

  • Tony says:

    King is good for 15 goals a season he cant be released for free, as regards being a better team without him I just dont get that, hes a goalscorer pure and simple, similar things were said about Jimmy Greaves, Roger hunt, Linnekar, in fact most goalscorers. If we rely on goals from Kim Novak we will be in big trouble thats for sure
    Regarding Lovenkrands, Ambrose. Mullins. poor judgement by Mr Clark.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      When Lovenkrands, Ambrose and Mullins were signed, I don’t remember anyone saying “What a load of rubbish!” “Bad signings!” “Lee Clark’s judgement is crap.” We all thought, like Lee Clark, that we were getting tried and tested, ex-premiership players. No one knew they were going to have a poor season, not all at once.

      Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

      • Oldbluenose says:

        Staffs;, Congratulations for voicing what was the reaction of most Bluenoses last season,!!.

        If L,C’s, judgement is regarded as ” crap “, — Then so was ours also, Be honest lads, Ambrose, Loverkrands and Mullins, were regarded as good signings at that time, !!.

        Hindsight is a great thing if one posses it, Who would have dreamt they would have all been injured or have lost form, as was the case, ?.

  • Tony says:

    Im heartily sick of this bring on admin.

  • bluepete says:

    If only Zigic or Pannu would relinquish 2 or 3 weeks wages, then we could afford to get Caddis for the relatively small sum of £250k. These two know the dire situation we are in and owe it to us considering how they have milked the club over the past couple of years. We desperately need Caddis to stay and it sounds like he is really disappointed with the prospects.

  • Paul Carter says:

    How can people who don’t go have a clue what our best team is or how certain players perform?

    Serious question.

    It always seems to be that those who never go have the most to say.

    To me, alongside the boycotters, their opinion means jack shit.

  • Flakey says:

    So negative Tony strikes again!!!!!! I for one was delighted we got Ambrose,Mullins and Lovenkrands in last season.Spot on Staffsblue can’t remember anyone knocking Lee Clark last season for bringing them to our great club,I wonder if Tony knows tonights Euro Lottery numbers,our club could do with a few extra quid at the moment and lets get behind LC and our young team,they’re gonna need it KRO

  • tony says:

    Forget the fact that 3 of them are just garbage, this isn’t a footballing decision its purely financial.Whilst i’d happily drive mullins to his next club with lover and sick note I can’t believe people are saying we’re better without king.Zigic as a lone striker hahaha he can’t hold the ball up,has no pace and is bone idle.The main reason for our improvement was the manager stumbled upon better tactics and captain carthorse at the back was finally dropped.

  • Blueboy 88 says:

    Almajir , can you work out what the goal scoring average was per game ,
    with King both in & out of the team last season ?

  • Evesham blue says:

    Lets get this in perspective. They told king he could go last January. Doesn’t mean he will go. They need to balance the books as zigic won’t go. They have offered them frees. But they won’t be going if nobody pays their wages as we can’t afford to pay them off.

    If king is still here by pre season then Clark will play him. They are just keeping their options open.

    If I were king I have a contract till next year. I wouldn’t be going anywhere unless my wages were matched

    • Evesham blue says:

      I guess king is the right sort of age to go join Caldwell! It’s a win win really we either keep him or we get rid of his wages and give someone else a chance

  • Marky mark says:

    It’s fair to say Mullins,Ambrose, and Loverman turned out to be poor buys, but I was pleased when the came in and so was everyone else except Tony of course who we all know is tgr Oracle on all things blue as some have said hindsight is a great thing.

    As for King we gained more points without him in the team you cannot argue with fact!

    Trouble is no one is going to take them, other Swindon all four in exchange for Caddis

    • Evesham blue says:

      Now there’s an idea except Swindon can’t pay their wages. I can see king being snapped up. Goal scores are a commodity worth keeping.

    • tony says:

      Sorry mark but I try to be a realist and not to wear the rose tinted specs like so many do on here.Wish I was an oracle then i’d win the 72 mill lottery tonight .We did gain more points without king but to use that fact as the sole reason is laughable.

      • Marky mark says:

        Tony

        Don’t get me wrong I wanna keep King as much as you because he is a natural in front of goal

        You say your a realist, then you should appreciate this is financial and we have no choice, he is not free to go because we play better without him its because we are skint

  • Art Watson says:

    I don’t think for a moment that Clark had a say in moving these guys on -its the work of PP.

    Giving credit to Clark is not justified!

    The shambles continues.

    ,

  • Dan Insole says:

    This move makes complete and utter sense. Couldn’t agree more about the team being less effective with King in the team. Scores goals yes but lack of tempo and work rate up top and the amount of times he was caught offside which instantly gives the opposition possession back. King has injury problems which are only going to get worse. All four players aren’t value for money in terms of wages earned. However I do worry that King is the only one out of the quartet that anyone would be interested in.

  • Art Watson says:

    To those who are happy to see King go -who’s going to score the 14 goals he picked up last season?

    • paulblues111 says:

      A few weeks ago i posted as to what i heard about Marlon being a bad influence around the youngsters and also being a bit of thorn in L C side…………..coincidence ?

  • jazzzy786 says:

    We haven’t released the players just made them available on a free transfer if anyone is interested. King will attract the biggest interest but not sure if any club will take a chance on those dodgy knees. I cannot see anyone coming in for Mullins. Lovenkrands and Ambrose? Good reputations so someone may possibly take a punt. We’ve seen nothing from either really but was hoping to see the goalscoring Darren Ambrose of Crystal Palace now his injuries are over.

  • iang says:

    So we are releasing four players three of which were signed by Clark as his key signings last year. Not only do we have owners squeezing the life out of us but a manager who last year spent what money he had on three key signing who have all failed. How anyone can say we have trust in Clark is beyond me, I only hope he has learnt from what was a error strewn first season

  • Art Watson says:

    Couldn’t agree more.

  • TracyKRO says:

    I must say this is the best site , I have renewed mine and sons st. I must say I don’t think we will go into admin who in the right mind will spend 80 mill and let it go for nothing, If you go to one game per season or buy from shop that is still a good thing cause you still helping pay wages etc doesn’t make you a worse fan than a season ticket holder, the players who have already gone didn’t really play last season and out these four players only king played the most but he has had about six months out through injury and they are havin all that money for nothing. Im just hoping we stay up this season has I did last, we need to get beyond the players in blue and support them through this bad time, it wont go on for ever so keep right on

  • Knowle Blues says:

    Good to see LC working his network of contacts and trying to shape his 2013-14 squad in so early in the closed season – May. Good luck to him, hes making some difficult decisions that cant always be based on an individuals footballing abilty alone.. Needs to look at tranfer fee, earnings, age, avoiding injuries… The sooner ‘pay as you play’ style contracts where a ralistic monthly retainer is paid together with performance bonuses for playing are introduced across the championship the better.

  • prewarblue says:

    I must agree in part with Tony……I said at the time to any and all who would listen that “Mullins” was a charity signing…..he was one of the few [ I think 3 ] that had to go from Portsmouth to avoid them actually being declared bankrupt……Lovencrands was just looking for a last “Big” pay deal from any club that would offer it, we offered the most and he jumped at it….we tried to sign him before and got turned down for a bigger offer from Newcastle…the same applied to Mullins….Ambrose I said at the time I wasnt sure it was a good signing due to his age……King I was def against due to his record of trouble, I was wrong regarding this, but trouble still hangs around with him, I,m not sure about this but believe he,s in trouble again with the police regarding a “Road Traffic Accident” involving a multi car accident, he has scored goals agreed but the team is better without him.

    As for Zigic leading the side next season thats going to be a sore point, Clark is trying to build a “Young Hungry Quick” team, where will that leave him ?…..a carthorse playing with recehorses ?…a showjumper who cant clear a 6inch fence, I like the bloke but to base your hopes on him getting into the area in time to do anything with a crossed ball is to hope in vain, we cant afford to carry a player who,s main use as a goal scorer will only come from dead ball situations or someone who has held the ball up long enough for him to lumber into the area, and this is in addition to his wages which are crippling the club

  • Richard Granfield says:

    Congratulations to Nathan Redmond for his first call up to the Under 21 squad….Well deserved.

  • Ted says:

    If Zigic loves the club he’d ask for a pay reduction with a good bonus for goals scored. It’d make him a hero with Blues fans. His confidence would soar and we could buy Caddis. Utter fantasy I know but Ziggy if you are reading..?

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Or, he could defer part of his wages until the club is better able to pay him. If, as we hope, there is a new regime installed, it would be a nice lump sum for him to leave with at the end of next season (or shortly after.)

      Lots of other players at other clubs have deferred their wages and have, in Ted’s words, become club heroes. That’s what the love of a club is really about. Take note Mr Zigic.

      • prewarblue says:

        Being a club hero does not feed your kids or ensure they have a better start in life than their parents……..While I think his wages are crippling the club…..I can understand his stance regarding a transfer to another club that wont pay the same amount of wage….your own come first….then What others may wish

        • prewarblue says:

          As for defering par of his wages…..on past evidence now being produced in HK…..would you trust Pannu or Yeung to honour a debt fully…..I certainly dont

          comment edited – just as a headsup, you’re going to have to be much more careful about how you comment about PP

        • StaffsBlue says:

          Him and his wife and kids must be impoverished having to live on a paltry £50k+ pw. My heart bleeds for the poor love!

    • chudlt says:

      He could give all his money to charity and live in his car. Get real next time your boss asks you to take a pay cut etc etc etc

      • macca salop blue says:

        Gutted to see Marlon go, for the simple reason that……”he scores goals Marlon..he scores goals…..oh….Marlon he scores goals..!

  • Blooflame says:

    Well I for one am delighted that these players are going. They are vastly overpaid for consistently under performing. I’ve said as much for most of the season. Whilst also being totally against the selection of LC due to his lack of ability, I can only applaud the addition and use of the kids from the academy. We as Blues fans must be prepared for frustrating times, these kids are learning and must be nurtured. It’s one thing producing on the training ground, quite another in the cauldron for real. So they are going to be found wanting at first, HELP THEM THROUGH, I’m sure we will though. After a season of combat, they will come back better and wiser next year. Unfortunately Aston Vile are doing just this across the city, It’ll be interesting to see how they do this season.

  • Tony says:

    The team did better when King was not there but the reason was simple, It took Mr Clark 7 months to get a grip with his tactics and personal when that happened King got injured.
    All this nonesence about going to Barcelona for what? they have world class players , we have a combination of Kids and players well well past their best led by a man who was a trier
    Most have you read what the Huddersfield fan said about Clark management akin to BINGO HALL if your number came up you were in, being abrasive without cause,look what he did with zig and the young kid.
    Can see no alternative other than a clean slate, a fresh start, new owners new manager,dont be concerned about the staff for the greater good it has to be, in any case how complicit were they in keeping Pannus financial dealings quiet

    • Blue in Spain says:

      Nice to see the moaners are still out in force!

    • chas says:

      Tony, why do you keep quoting one fan who, rightly or wrongly, didnt like Clark ? We have fans of our own who think he is the Cats Whiskers,but it is all about Opinions, and no matter how you dress it up, he got the Team playing very well at the end of the Season..You are turning into a Voice of (un) Reason.
      As you keep saying to VOR, give it a rest, change the record.

  • Evesham blue says:

    Think tony has some points tbh how on earth anyone can justify King going is beyond me. The man was the top scorer in a blue shirt since he has been with us. Shame on all of you who want rid or who want to kiss Dans ass for an opinion. Marlon gave you many joys. Not a team player? had away and sh1te he celebrated every goal with you. Goal scorers are a premium in any division. Marlin we love you don’t go!

  • Tony says:

    Well said Evesham, Dan has his opinions I think he is wrong

  • Tony says:

    Chas he said he did not dislike Clark, but just gave an honest opinion of him as a manager and you have to agree a lot of it rang true with our own experiences of him.

    • almajir says:

      Enough of insulting each other, mmkay?

      (not just you Tony)

    • chas says:

      But it turned out better in the end.. Remember where we were at Christmas in Goodwin’s Promotion year, and our Fans moaned when he bought Harland..It turned out to be a brilliant signing.We know LC’s shortcomings, no need to keep on about the bloke.

  • Tony says:

    ouch I felt that one lol

  • Tony says:

    awwww Dan you deleted my best line lol

  • Marky mark says:

    You didn’t like my poem Dan?

  • Chris Smith says:

    I think King leaving is a shame, good player but I think Caddis not being bought stuck the writing on the wall. Lovenkrands…never really got the run in he should possibly have had but still it’s kinda understandable. Good luck you two, hope you do well in pastures new.

    The other two there’s no love lost on. Ambrose is injury prone and didn’t really feature in wins, Mullins was awful for the most part though I will consider he got better he had a huge habit of going missing in home games. Oh well.


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