Constantine signs for Peterborough

[Bob Cratchitt]

Quote[/b] (MilkeySUFC @ May 21 2004,22:35)]

Quote[/b] (Andy_S @ May 21 2004,19:21)]2) As I and the odd other person have been saying in the last few months, he's vastly over rated

I'm not that odd!!!!

Well to be honest you are but I am not!!

 

[Suffolk Shrimper In Dorset]

Forget him. The Club is bigger than any one person, the fact the Club frequently screw themselves is another matter. Tilly will get new and better folk, its not far to Canvey for instance. Sounds like low ambition I know but until we get somewhwere through constant hard work in each and every minute of each game we will have to scr*pe the barrel and get what we can until they jel...then we take off again. The fact that we have got rid of some players who never try for 10 mins let alone 90 is far more encoraging (eg.Clarkie who should have gone yonks ago).:)

 

[Mr Wooly]

Regarding Constantine, I think it's a blow; how can it not be to lose your leading scorer (by a street) on a free? I don't know the ins and outs of the saga but if the club didn't stump up an offer then who can blame him for looking elsewhere?

But I agree, he'll do amazingly well to even come close to matching his heroics next season. I very much doubt he'll score more than 8 league goals. And that's not me being bitter. Certain players take a shine to a club, and have their purple patch there and then. I think that's the case with Leon. Remember last season, when Andy Morrell scored 30+ for Wrexham. He'd acheived sod all before that season, scored 30 goals in a decent side, and buggered off to Coventry. Hasn't done much since has he?

Still gutted he's left us though.

 

[ASHRIMPER]

I feel absolutley sick in the stomach after hearing this news.

After we gave leon a chance to get his career he treats us like this. Why join peterbrough though they are a very poor div 2 side who are always one of the favourites to go down. We will hopefully replace them div 2 in 12months time.

Now tilly make sure you dont lose Maher!

 

[Mr Wooly]

Quote[/b] (ASHRIMPER @ May 21 2004,22:42)]I feel absolutley sick in the stomach after hearing this news.

After we gave leon a chance to get his career he treats us like this. Why join peterbrough though they are a very poor div 2 side who are always one of the favourites to go down. We will hopefully replace them div 2 in 12months time.

Now tilly make sure you dont lose Maher!

Agree. Maher's signature is paramount. Would be more disappointed to see him leave than Leon IMHO.

 

[ASHRIMPER]

If maher leaves it would feel even worse.

In my eyes hes so close to becoming a southend legend, Tilly should use the money which was for constintine to make sure kevin signs.

 

[Barmy Army]

Quote[/b] (ASHRIMPER @ May 21 2004,22:48)]If maher leaves it would feel even worse.

In my eyes hes so close to becoming a southend legend, Tilly should use the money which was for constintine to make sure kevin signs.

Good idea.

Unless we have upped everybody's new contracts by a substantial amount we should have some money to use. Although I'd imagine that Edwards is on the same amount as Leon was.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

I dont know why a lot of you are upset. Most of you didnt like Leon anyway.

How i see it is that it is the clubs fault if they really want to keep him they would have offered him a contract earlier in the season. I believe that they are trying to make leon seem like the bad one in all of this to try and cover up their **** up.

 

[Bob Cratchitt]

Ok and I believe Fry has been after him a while, the reason he was at the Hull game. So he must have been in contact with the agent if not the player since then. So when do you think he should have been offered a new contract?? Also to be realisitic do you really think he would of signed it?? Of course not the agent would want him to wait and see what happens in the close season as he is out of contract and knows that Southend are keeping wages in check, remember the bigger the deal the better cut the agent gets.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

I agree about the agent thing, but leon did what we all would have done.

You are aone the 'hottest' players in the third divison and your contract runs out by the end of the season who wouldnt hold out to see what was going to happen.

 

[stid]

Constantine has behaved far worse than Rawle, who didn't push off elsewhere at the very first opportunity or even after just one good season (actually I don't remember Rawle ever having a particularly good season!). Also, we didn't save Rawle from the scr*pheap as his record in the Conference had spoken for itself and he was sure to find a League club that wanted him.

Constantine's career was on the verge of vanishing without trace 9 months ago and we rescued it. To just take another club's offer without at least trying to find out what he could get with the club that saved his career is pathetic beyond words. Stepping up a division is no big deal when the club you're joining has only just avoided relegation anyway - there's a pretty good chance that they'll go down next season and we might, of course, pass them on the way.

At the same time, this is another example of a point I keep making - that we get ourselves into this situation every year by failing to sign up our key players on decent length contracts. Two years seems to be the absolute maximum and even good, established players only get one year. Why don't we try offering Maher 3 or 4 years? Why wasn't Constantine signed up for longer once he started scoring regularly? This is where the club is going wrong and it's time to sort it out!

 

[stid]

Quote[/b] (SHRIMPALISIOUS @ May 22 2004,00:47)]who wouldnt hold out to see what was going to happen.

But he didn't hold out - he just signed for the first club that came along.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

How do you know that. He could have been gettting offers in from a long time ago. And thought that this was the best one that came along.

 

[Bob Cratchitt]

Because having longer contracts mean you have to take gambles and with the current financial situation of most lower league clubs this is something that could be disastrous. Do not think we are the only club in this situation or the only to give out 1 or 2 year contracts. I was surprised most contracts offered to the players I would keep have been 2 year deals this year. The others who need to prove themselves either with talent or injury free periods have been given 1 year deals which i feel is fair enough. Remember to terminate a player's contract costs money, money which is obviously not there to lose.

 

[stid]

Quote[/b] (SHRIMPALISIOUS @ May 22 2004,00:54)]How do you know that. He could have been gettting offers in from a long time ago. And thought that this was the best one that came along.

No he couldn't cos that would have been a breach of the rules.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

I tell you what makes me laugh is that people on here keep talking about loyalty, if i may recall no long ago may of you didnt care whether or not leon stayed because we had drewe and dudfield. So i dont no why the hell all of you are so angry with him when most of the time you were slagging him off.

 

[stid]

Quote[/b] (Bob Cratchitt @ May 22 2004,00:55)]Because having longer contracts mean you have to take gambles and with the current financial situation of most lower league clubs this is something that could be disastrous. Do not think we are the only club in this situation or the only to give out 1 or 2 year contracts. I was surprised most contracts offered to the players I would keep have been 2 year deals this year. The others who need to prove themselves either with talent or  injury free periods have been given 1 year deals which i feel is fair enough. Remember to terminate a player's contract costs money, money which is obviously not there to lose.

I don't dispute most of what you say, which is why I wouldn't expect most players to get long deals - only the "key" players, which presumably should include you're leading scorer.

I singled out Maher, who has given his entire career to the club, as someone who should be rewarded with a long-term deal. In Connie's case, the combination of a low-wage (all he was worth when he still had everything to prove) and the fact that he DID prove he could score goals should have kicked the club into some kind of action long before the season was out. Even if it was only a deal on decent lower division wages until the end of next season he should have been offered that.

Perhaps he was, but the club's statements certainly haven't suggested that.

 

[stid]

Quote[/b] (SHRIMPALISIOUS @ May 22 2004,01:00)]I tell you what makes me laugh is that people on here keep talking about loyalty, if i may recall no long ago may of you didnt care whether or not leon stayed because we had drewe and dudfield. So i dont no why the hell all of you are so angry with him when most of the time you were slagging him off.

Not me for one - if a striker is scoring goals then that's good enough for me. And why not talk about loyalty - the world would be a better place if there was a bit more of it.

 

[SHRIMPALISIOUS]

The club are willing to say anything to make it look like they werent at fault.

 

[Beefy]

Bugger

Still Dudfield > Constantine