CALDERWOOD CONTRACT TALKS HIT A STALEMATE

 

08:50 - 07 January 2008

 

Jimmy Calderwood's future as manager ofAberdeen is in doubt, with discussions about a new contract reaching fresh stalemate.

 

With the future of four of his players due to be announced in the next 24 hours, fears are increasing within Pittodrie Calderwood views his long-term future away from the club.

 

Calderwood, who is out of contract at the end of the season after more than three years with the Dons, says he is waiting for the club to make him an offer.

 

The Dons say a contract offer has been made and they are waiting for the former Dunfermline manager to sign it.

 

Despite leading the club to third place in the SPL and into the Uefa Cup last season, Calderwood has become frustrated at what he sees as a lack of ambition from the club's directors.

 

Four of the clubs leading players, Zander Diamond, Michael Hart, Chris Clark and Barry Nicholson, are out of contract at the end of the season and are now free to talk to other clubs. The breaking up of the team which has the chance of repeating last season's fine finish has prompted the manager to consider his future.

 

There will be no money for the manager to strengthen the team during the January transfer window and, with the likes of Hibs and Hearts suffering poor seasons, Aber-deen have the opportunity to establish themselves as the third force in Scottish football. Calderwood admitted yesterday talks with directors regarding his future are not progressing quickly.

 

Asked if he was on the verge of quitting Aberdeen, Calderwood said: "Nothing is certain at this moment. My own contract situation is no nearer to be resolved and we are not that far down the road."

 

Calderwood has set a deadline of today for Clark, Hart, Diamond and Nicholson to accept new contract offers but talks about his ownfuture show no sign of being resolved, with both the club and manager believing the ball is in the other party's court. Calderwood said: "The situation is I am waiting for the club to get back to me. But it is wrong for people to jump to a conclusion where negotiations with the players and the club, and my own talks about a new contract, are linked."

 

Dons managing director Duncan Fraser is hopeful the club will be able to keep their man. He said: "If Jimmy is on the verge of quitting I've not been made aware of it. An offer is on the table and it is now a case of whether the manager will accept it or not."

 

Aberdeen's director of football Willie Miller, who signed a new three-year contract with the club along withFraser last year, has beenhandling the contract negotiations with the manager and players. He was unavailable for comment last night.

Am my eyes deceiving me or have you changed your tune recently?   

 

I wouldn't say so, no.  While I think he is actually more tactically astute than many of us give him credit for, and I do think he is overall a good football manager, he doesn not have what you would call "an eye for a player", and this for me is what this all boils down to.  By that I mean yes, he did a great job in bringing established SPL players to the club in Severin, Nicholson, Lovell etc, but he has never embellished the Aberdeen team with a rough gem that surprised us all.  At Dunfermline he had Skerla and de  Gier, bith fantastic players he took over from Holland, but in all his time in Scotland he has never brought a young player through the ranks.  Even Steve Paterson had the eye to pick out Heikkinen and Hart (who let's face it was an abomination in his first spell at AFC).

 

For example when a first choice player gets injured, the likes of Stephen Wright, Kevin McNaughton, Stephen Glass, christ knows even Scott Morrison and Steven Payne take a chance, but JC instead prefers to utilise the tombola which although may be the best option for a short-term fix, is ultimately tying his own hands in the medium term when he complains of the lack of young talent.

 

AFC can and will do without Jimmy Calderwood if he so decides to leave.  He's done well with what he's had and I'd thank him for that and wish him well, but I'm not so blinkered as to suggest that someone else might have done better, or indeed do better in the future.

REDS' CASH PLEDGE

 

12:00 - 08 January 2008

 

Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood has been promised that every penny from the sale of any of his contract rebels will go straight back into his football budget.

 

Football director Willie Miller made the pledge in the fight to keep Calderwood.

 

EVERY PENNY WILL GO ON NEW PLAYERS

 

12:00 - 08 January 2008

 

Willie Miller is convinced the Dons can match the ambitions of Jimmy Calderwood and keep him at Pittodrie.

 

Calderwood is stalling on signing a new deal until he receives assurances he will get enough funds to keep his squad up to strength.

 

Football director Miller, left, underlined his intentions to retain Calderwood by promising every penny possible will be transferred into the manager's football budget.

 

"No-one should question our ambition. We want success as much as our manager," said Miller.

 

"His budget has increased by £1m a year since he came to the club because fielding as strong a team as possible has always been our priority.

 

"Every penny raised from transfers would be put into that. Nothing will be siphoned off.

 

"But I make no apologies for saying there must be limits.

 

"I refuse to allow this club to get into the sort of difficulties experienced before from spending money that wasn't there.

 

"Jimmy knows that. We have made it clear from the day he arrived. But he also knows how much we want to keep him."

 

Miller expects a negative response from some fans because they have been unable to persuade Michael Hart, Chris Clark and Barry Nicholson to stay. But he pledged that they will be replaced.

 

Miller said: "Players come and go on a more regular basis now than when I was a player. That's because we will always face problems competing with the wages on offer in England.

 

"We do our best. The offers made to the players mentioned were the best we could come up with - better than they would get in Scotland outwith the Old Firm and possibly Hearts.

 

"But we cannot afford to pay the money players get in England."

Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood has been promised that every penny from the sale of any of his contract rebels will go straight back into his football budget.

 

Football director Willie Miller made the pledge in the fight to keep Calderwood

 

 

Reckon that means that someone is DEFINATELY leaving for a fee?

Or it could simply mean that wages saved go back in to the pot?

And all three are definitely offski.

Hart's reasons for leaving...

 

I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE ONE OF POOREST PAID AT PITTODRIE ANY MORE

 

12:00 - 08 January 2008

 

Michael Hart is quitting Pittodrie because he's fed up getting underpaid.

 

The defender rejected Aberdeen's final contract offer before the dramatic UEFA Cup win over Copenhagen.

 

The deal also incorporated a testimonial, but the club vice-captain reckons he was undervalued by the Dons.

 

His decision to leave has sparked interest south of the border with Plymouth and Preston ready to battle it out for his services.

 

The 27-year-old wants to seal his exit before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

 

That would see him miss the epic battles with Dundee United in the CIS Cup semi-final and the European showdown with Bayern Munich.

 

"My decision is based on the fact the club have made it clear the offer on the table is their final offer," said Hart.

 

"That's very disappointing for me. The club gave me time to make my decision and now I have.

 

"The gaffer took me in and asked me for a final decision. I told him I didn't think it was the right offer.

 

"I felt I was worth more to the club than what I'd been offered.

 

"Willie Miller said it was his final offer and it was the maximum the club could go to.

 

"I just felt it wasn't good enough and there are a lot of players at the club earning a lot more than me.

 

"I said I didn't want any more than anyone else, I just wanted to be fairly paid.

 

"Willie stated the club is now trying to put a pay structure in place and everyone who is on bigger money will now have to come down.

 

"I felt if I had committed to the three-year deal with the testimonial I would have regretted it further down the line.

 

"The testimonial was such a big thing to turn down.

 

"But I just wanted to be paid my worth. It's a big decision and I could miss some massive games, but I had to do what's best for me."

 

Hart could have played his last match for Aberdeen.

 

The former Livingston man has missed the last three Dons games with a hip problem.

 

And he would rather leave now with Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock determined to land his man.

 

The Pilgrims boss has tabled a £175,000 bid for the defender, but he may be ready to up his offer if he can land two Dons.

 

Sturrock wants Hart and Chris Clark in a double deal, but will have to pay up to £500,000 to snare the Pittodrie pair.

 

But the duo could also pen pre-contract deals and leave Aberdeen for nothing in the summer.

Where's that from?

 

Can't find it anywhere.

175K for Hart  or 500K for hart and Clark............ 

 

 

Geezzzuusss,  what is Sturrock on  ?

I'd take the £500k. While I sympathise with Hart wanting to be paid fairly, he's been offered a testimonial while not actually due one and some big opportunities with the club certainly this season. Who exactly are Plymouth? Last time I read about them in the news it was about one of their players punching a bouncer on a night out or something. Also, has he even been to Plymouth yet?! It's worse than Aberdeen when it rains!

175K for Hart  or 500K for hart and Clark............ 

 

 

Geezzzuusss,  what is Sturrock on  ?

 

500k is what the paper says we want for them, not what is being offered.  I can't imagine we'll get more than half that.

Bobby Williamson to take over according to Hat.

 

Actually, not rofl, it fucking better not happen!

Bobby Williamson to take over according to Hat.

 

Actually, not rofl, it fucking better not happen!

 

if you had read that post properly you would notice that it was posted as a laugh and taken from aberdeenMAd.

 

it wont happen.

I did read it properly. Stoney was positive about it.

Serves you right for reading that muck.

 

:shakieheedsmilie:

Who exactly are Plymouth?

 

F*ck knows, but they must be minted if they're prepared to spend 500k on Chris frickin' Clark

I did read it properly. Stoney was positive about it.

 

That boy just opens his moo and lets his belly rumble.

 

That boy is just an utter cock.

 

Better.

Hart's reasons for leaving...

 

 

Thats shocking if its really the case, surely it wouldnt have taken much to make him one of the higher earners at the club, id say he is worth more to us than say smith and lovell who i presume are on higher wages than hart.

 

Sad to see that it looks like he's off because i doubt we will get a suitable replacement. taken a massive step back here and i think it'll only get worse if/when the rest announce they are also leaving

Where's that nice German website that had a list of players that were coming to the end of their contracts?

 

Someone can scan that for the afternoon and find suitable replacements for Hart and Nicholson.

 

Clark's replacement is me, and I'm doing it for 10 rowies a week.

That boy opens his moo for cock

 

Even better 

I did read it properly. Stoney was positive about it.

 

Bamba.

 

End of.

 

Unless that was intended as a joke too.

Hart's unhappy with his pay?

 

Tell ye what Michael. Come do my job (by the way you'll need to spend 4 years +1 postgrad at yer ain expense qualifying first, then one year on probation (still effectively qualifying)) then actually have to work your fucking balls off.

 

Wanna swap for my pay dude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Didn't fucking think so, you mercenary little waste of skin

Hart's unhappy with his pay?

 

Tell ye what Michael. Come do my job (by the way you'll need to spend 4 years +1 postgrad at yer ain expense qualifying first, then one year on probation (still effectively qualifying)) then actually have to work your fucking balls off.

 

Wanna swap for my pay dude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Didn't fucking think so, you mercenary little waste of skin

 

FOR FUCKS SAKE.

So?

 

I'm pissed off, let me rant!

Hart's unhappy with his pay?

 

Tell ye what Michael. Come do my job (by the way you'll need to spend 4 years +1 postgrad at yer ain expense qualifying first, then one year on probation (still effectively qualifying)) then actually have to work your fucking balls off.

 

Wanna swap for my pay dude?

 

I thought you were a teacher.