Yesterday we had the sanitised version: Jack Colback realises his boyhood dream, joins the club he supported as a North Tyneside lad and leaves the Stadium of Light in the knowledge that his efforts on behalf of Sunderland are warmly appreciated.
Today comes the sting in the tail.
Here, without further comment from Monsieur Salut save to observe that notions of loyalty (player/staff to club, club to player/staff) have long seemed an outmoded commodity, is a waspish statement from Sunderland AFC
Jack is a player we have nurtured and developed through our academy system since he was eight years old. We gave him the opportunity to become a professional footballer and are therefore extremely disappointed in the events that have led to his departure from the club.
This wasn’t about money – the club agreed to all of the terms demanded of us during discussions and we were always led to believe that Jack wanted to stay with us. At his and his representatives’ request, final talks were put on hold until the club secured its top flight status. To our dismay however, we were subsequently never given the chance to negotiate with him to stay.
For him to then leave the club that has supported him throughout his formative years in such a manner, with no chance for Sunderland to recover any of the significant investment that it has made in him as a player, has left a bitter taste.
It was reported on a Hammers website about 5 weeks ago that the lad wanted to go there but work had to be done to extricate him from a “pre-nup” he had signed with the Toon.
Would your head be turned by an offer of £50k per week?
So today we have newspapers commenting that the Toon asked for £5m to “transfer” ownership to West Ham.
Now this leads me to believe that the lad is not being paid £50k per week by the Toon and that SAFC have been strung along without understanding that “the deal” was completed some considerable time ago.
I don’t like the club statement but I can see why, as things become clearer, it feels pissed off.
We’re all replaceable. We’re transient. The only constant is change. Move on
Sorry to see him go,but my view is,right or wrong, we undervalued him and he also felt he didn’t fit in with the regime at the time….so a bit of a mixed bag as to why he is leaving.
We could have offered him a better contract but the decision at the time was he wasn’t worth the extra money and the club were willing to risk him leaving on a free…the rest as they say is history.
Let us not dwell on it too long and not let this get in the way of looking forward to next season,we have to get in a better player,simple as that.
Thanks Jack, you are a credit to football and always done your best and I cannot say that about many footballers today.
Thumbs up to your comment. Personally, I think we should have busted a gut to keep him (simply as he is from the region). We all know he is no world beater, but he is a Northerner, something we all understand. Same as Adam Johnson, we need to kep0 him also. Always for me Cattermole has been the North East Beast who will gel a team. So wish you well Jack, hope you are on the losing side when we next meet the BarCodes.
Never mind who’s gone , we need players in , the squad is down to the bare bones again, at least we haven’t got the Di Saster twins to throw a spanner in the works this time . I see Colback thinks he’s joined a ‘ massive’ club, give me strength ! Are they all handed the same script? Fans ,players even Pardwho . Whatever , it’s history , but its down to our own ineptitude that we missed out on a transfer fee .
Colback is a decent footballer and, by all accounts, a decent bloke. He’s not an arse like Clarke or Chopra. So let’s wish him well and move on.
Thanks for Malcolm’s thoughtful response; I too feel the club administration have been slow off the mark and their response has something of the “cover your rear end” about it. It seems somehow petty and small-minded. “Sorry we couldn’t agree, thanks for everything and good luck” would have made us seem bigger (I think).
Couple of things:
If he “isn’t driven by money”, then he could have either stayed with Sunderland or at least negotiated with us. The only reason he is receiving such big money elsewhere (reports say £50k offered by West Ham) is because there is no transfer fee attached to his signing. There’s no way he is worth that kind of salary, and the reason there’s no fee attached is because he and his agent have engineered it that way by running down his contract.
Secondly, I agree with Malcolm that SAFC (probably De Fanti) cocked up by not nailing something down last year. But we did offer him new terms and the club are now saying that money wasn’t the issue – plus they have subsequently been unable to negotiate. So either money was the issue with Colback (we didn’t offer enough) or he was determined to leave regardless on footballing grounds (e.g. unhappy that he wasn’t guaranteed a place in his favourite position).
Either way, his refusal to negotiate has created the Bosman and left us unable to recoup any money whatsoever on a player in whom we have invested for years – and who is now an established Premier League player worth a few quid.
It’s very possible that the club are to blame, but this official statement appears keen to set the record straight and suggest that there’s more to it than we originally thought.
As a Newcastle fan all I can say is it’s nice to see a player who wants to play for the team he supported as a child. The guy above has given a very honest opinion of what your club did or didn’t do correctly to keep hold of this kid. I for one am pleased to have him playing for us as he always gives 100%. The trouble is like it or lump it both North East clubs are failing to attract good players anymore as most foreigners want to be in the bright lights of Landan and only venture as far as Liverpool or Manchester because of the stupid amounts of money thrown at them, so again it is refreshing to see a player who isn’t driven by money.
Leaving aside the argument that foreign owners treat football clubs as either a plaything or in the case of those from the U.S. of A. an opportunity to expand their business empires and make money, Ellis Short seems to avoid the type of personal criticism that has gone the way of the Glasers, Randy Lerner, Gillett and Hicks etc. But whilst pumping money into the club there is no doubt he has made mistakes and appointing Di Fanti was surely one of those.
If reports are correct it was Di Fanti’s refusal to offer Colback better personal terms last summer that has led to his leaving on a Bosman, something he is quite entitled to do. Had they done a deal then they could have either retained him or got a fee for him. It’s no good them now carping on about the fact he came through the academy etc. if they didn’t show him he was appreciated when they had the chance.
Colback always gave 100% even when asked to play out of position. He has kept his nose clean off the pitch, unlike others, and never publicly criticised the club. If as we are told, he turned down a bigger salary to go to West Ham and has grasped the opportunity to stay nearer home, then I think that says something about his morality and personal values.
He may have gone over to the dark side but in my view the club needs to look closer to home rather than come out with some half baked criticism of the player.