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SETTING A PRECEDENT 5-10-06
Steve Goldby
We believed we'd catch the rainbow
Ride the wind to the sun
Sail away on ships of wonder
But life's not a wheel
With chains made of steel
So bless me come the dawn
Come the dawn
It's become apparent over the last couple of weeks that Boro have a problem that is holding the club back and no doubt contributing to our incredibly disappointing season to date.
It has transpired that we have four high earners on the payroll who we cannot move on and until we manage to actually do that, we are restricted financially and consequently in the transfer market.
Incredibly, of the four high earners in question, only one has played a significant part in our season so far, although his performances have been pitiful at best and diabolical at worst. One has made occasional appearances as a substitute and two have not figured at all.
Problems as big as this need seriously trouble shooting and letting the consequences take care of themselves. My solution to this problem would be to simply cancel the contracts of the four players in question.
It's very unethical, probably immoral and definitely unlawful in terms of employment legislation but what is far more important than those factors is the advantages it would bring to the club and indeed to the game in general.
Let's say that this happened and Boro called all four problem players into the office, thanked them for their service to date and told them that they were out of a job. The worst case scenario would be a lawsuit for breach of contract and a resulting settlement of those contracts, plus legal costs.
Well as said players will never have their Boro wages matches anywhere else, they are clearly going to do all in their power to see out their contracts so it is highly likely that we will pay them up in full anyway?
That leaves the legal costs. Surely the interest that we would make on the wage savings would cover these expenses?
That's if the club did actually lose the legal case. There is no precedent for this course of action so it could well come down to who has the best lawyer and contract or no contract, if someone is not performing in their job, there is always a case for dismissal in some form.
And what a message such action would send to the game in general, that a club will not be held to ransom by overpaid players who probably care little of the welfare of their employers.
The knock-on effect would be immense as players would realise that they can no longer 'wing it' and loyal supporters who complain of paying substantial amounts to watch mostly poor quality entertainment would instantly be brought back onside.
I am aware that Boro put themselves in this situation but I care not as blame or no blame attached, the club comes first and this is holding us back and needs radically addressing.
We must also consider that if this problem continues to halt our growth, the financial loss will be far more serious than a lawsuit and subsequent settlement as it will ultimately result in relegation and we all know how much that will cost.
The four players in question are certainly not to blame for accepting the high salaries that they were offered when joining the club and the should easily be able to find employment elsewhere. Let's just say that as in all situations, lessons should be learned and mistakes not repeated.
But for the immediate future, Boro need to solve this problem, sod the consequences and save our Premiership lives because Jonathan Woodgate was wrong when he said earlier this week that we could get dragged into a relegation battle. The truth is that we are already in one.
Until next time.
Steve
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