January 26 transfer rumours

This is a good read

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/25765756.bradford-city-boss-discusses-high-profile-departures/

 

Reading have signed Will Keane from Preston and looks like Elliot Lee is off there. I wouldn't be sleeping on them - could have a say in May.

 

Not the most cultured but you know what you get with Kelly. As an out and out defender in a one on one challenge in the air or on the deck, I have as much if not more trust in Kelly than our other CBs. I do however understand that maybe that isn't enough.

 

Sorry yes, that's wright.

 

Don’t get me going!

 

Think it’s a load of giblets myself

 

Beat me to it Kev!!

 

Ward and Jatta would be a combined £600k? Surely we’ve got that in the kitty and it would be a definite sign of ambition

 

Good read...

Cookie - not forced out but told what his future looked like and decided it was best he left.
Halliday - saw an opportunity with Dundee, was honest to the manager and told him he wanted to leave.
Pattison - Walsall came in for him, didnt want to risk been out of contract in summer, went with GA's blessing.

 

Give them Leigh plus 200k he will come

 

Link to press conference
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mtyxys?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

 

And you referring to Key-ron presumably?
As referenced by the city commentary team.

 

Surprised that halliday told him he wanted to leave. Would have thought that now he was back in the side he would have stuck out the last six months and had his pick of clubs in the summer. Another reason to suggest may be all hasn't been right internally with a few of them.

As far as I'm aware isn't Joe Wright his best mate as well? Talked him into coming here from Scotland and buggers off up there himself six months later

 

Transcript:


ON ANDY COOK
“I think everything comes to an end at some point. Is it an easy decision or a hard one? It's depending on where you're coming at it from.


“From a professional position, for me only, it was an easy decision because of all the factors and the facts and my ideas of progressing and going forward.

“From an emotional point of view and what he means to the club and the support, that's when it became really difficult.

“But I believe in making decisions, not easy decisions but the right ones. That's what I get paid to do, but it's what my life's been.

“I made those tough decisions on my own career. When I've left the club, club captain, walking out the door, crying my eyes out, but I made the decision because I knew professionally it was the right thing to do.

“I had to go back to what my beliefs are about professional sport, the responsibility I have that's entrusted in me to make the best decision for the future of Bradford City. That's when it became clear.

“I wouldn't say it was easy or hard, but it came clear to me.


“I didn't say, ‘you have to leave the club’. I explained what the picture would look like for the next four or five months, like I did with Brad and other players in the past and it’s up to you what you want to do with it.

“Ultimately, everyone can sit on their contracts, but Cooky is a footballer and he's always been the main guy or a main guy. I know when that ceases to be the case, that you lose something with that player.

“Or if you're that player, you lose something, because I've been that player.

“When you're used to playing regular football, week in, week out, and then not be that person, it's a difficult scenario to manage.

“He's in the same boat as a couple of the other guys where he's not played regular football for 12 months. If he goes another four or five months without that, he's going to be in that position regardless of what he's done in the past.

“I think it was the right thing all round. But, of course, I'm aware of what Andy Cook has done for this club in the last five years without a shadow of a doubt.

“I had a real clear idea of where we had to make changes when we first came in. We had to make changes after six months, 12 months, 18 months to keep progressing this club forward because that is what I'm tasked with.

“I've got a specific task, nothing really gets in the way of that. I've always been task-orientated so that perspective keeps it clear for me.

“Sometimes I can see things because I've been there myself. Sometimes the player doesn't see it.


“I didn't see certain things when I was a player. I almost lied to myself sometimes.

“Then when you come out of it, you go, ‘actually, that was the right thing to happen.’

“I hope at some point along the line, Cooky will see that. If he goes on to play for another five years and gets another 200 games and scores 50, 60, 70 goals, that's when you go, ‘actually, that was the right time to leave.’

“Andy Cook came here five years ago. He leaves us the fourth top-scorer in the club's history and with a medal around his neck.

“The last goal he scored was against his beloved Newcastle United at St James' Park. I hope they're the headlines that he remembers and everyone else remembers from his spell.”

ON BRAD HALLIDAY
“He came to see me probably a week to 10 days before he got back on the team, just recently. We had a really good chat and he said, ‘look, I think I'll be leaving in January. I want to shake your hand when that happens, but I want the team to be flying and whatever I can do to help that along, I'm all in.’

“There was a bit of disruption around January upcoming with the group and he just wanted to make it clear to me that he was absolutely focused on this and whatever happened in the future would happen.

“He got in the team a week later and played really well. Josh got back in but I'd had a call from a couple of clubs about Brad and then his agent spoke to us as a club, expressing that he would like to speak to them.


“That's when we moved along with Harrison (Ashby). Brad rang me at home on Monday and said he wanted to come in and see me personally on Tuesday morning and explain what was going on. He wanted to say bye to everyone personally and give everyone a hug.

“What a guy! He's gone on to a two-and-a-half-year deal at another club and this is what the game is. When you contract someone out who's an experienced player, you've got a family, you've got a career to protect.

“I've been in that situation several times in my 30s and I always try to balance out the needs of the club with the needs of the player.

“It was done in the best way possible, probably the best (way of a) player leaving I've ever experienced in 12 or 13 years and I'm going to miss him.

“I told him yesterday he's been my light bulb on some days. When he comes out in the freezing weather and he's got a T-shirt and shorts on and ready to train, I just love that sort of character and I think a lot of people will miss him around the club.

“We know not everyone is the same, so we understand that. The more people you can have like that, the better it is.

“Not just for me as a manager or the coaching staff, but also for your team mates and the staff at the club. Wherever he goes, he's going to put smiles on people's faces and I'm sure he'll do that at Dundee.

“It's sad to see him go because he's a great lad, but he's more than repaid the faith that the club showed in him when they took him. After a bad injury, he's just banged out the games because of what he is.”

ON ALEX PATTISON
“We have an unwritten policy here of only doing contracts at the end of the season.

“Now, that suits us as a club, but individuals can then go, ‘well, that doesn't suit me and I need to look after my career.’ I understand that.

“Patto's agent expressed a desire to follow through on a few enquiries to David Sharpe and when this opportunity (with Walsall) came up, Patto wanted to take it.

“Like Brad, like other players that have moved on in the summer, will move on in January or have moved on, they played a part in what has been a successful time for this club.

“Whenever they think back to this time or whenever people think of them, they will think of promotion winners with medals around their neck and that's a good way to live football.”

ON TOM McINTYRE
“Tom came to see me a week ago today and just spoke about his scenario and how his last year had gone with not playing much football. He just wanted to see where he stood in the grand scheme of things.

“I said to him on Friday, ‘I'm going to take the decision now’. He's had a great time here but he came here for game time and football.

“He’s a brilliant personality and really popular within the group. But I said this is what needs to happen.

“If I was your agent now or your dad or your brother, I would be saying this to you, you have to go out and play football. I can't sit here and guarantee that you play one game or 10 games or 15.

“I think it would be dangerous for you to go a whole season or a season and a half without playing when you're coming out of contract.

“He sent great messages to the group and to myself and is just a genuine guy.


“He certainly played a part in what we've done so far this season, on the pitch in certain games, off the pitch in how he's trained and being around the group and ready to play.

“It worked out from my side as a manager building a squad, but probably not from his side, as in playing the amount of games that he would have hoped to do.”

 

If his agent had told him he could get 2.5 year contract at 30 and he knew we were unlikely to renew he would ask to move wouldn't he? I would. Nothing sinister just how football works surely? There is a gamble on all new signings but we defo need an upgrade across the group. The bench in recent games has been awful with no game changers on it.

 

looking at the two clubs you'd like to think we'd be more attractive but he doesn't need to move if Wigan

 

You need a market. Halliday and Cook did

 

The more I hear from GA, the more I like him.

 

He's over 30 and probably got a good deal on a multi-year contract that was too good to turn down plus playing in the SPL which some say isn't a high standard but players are always looking to push themselves and it is something to be able to say he played in the SPL. Fair play to him.

 

Sour grapes!