Phil SumblerI’m not actually sure anyone really cares about what the discussion is about any more but none of Swansea City, Southampton and Russell Martin can move on properly without this matter of compensation is resolved.
On the day that the Premier League fixtures were released it looks for all money as if its about to be another day where the rumblings continue and the Swans cannot move on with letting Martin leave and it seems that he cannot leave until the two clubs can agree a compensation package.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand exactly what the full extent of the stumbling block is such are the different reports that have been published on discussions but the fact is this seems to be a discussion that has been playing through since 19th May and is still ongoing four weeks later.
We know that our majority owners have a track history of trying to play hardball over negotiations but there is playing hardball and there is actually damaging the business that you are pretending to protect. This is a football club and a football club that is very much in limbo at the moment due to the nature of these discussions. We have a manager who wants to leave but cannot until some level of compensation is agreed.
From the Southampton side they cannot be exempt from blame on this one either as they will want to appoint Martin but cannot do so until compensation is agreed particularly as it has been suggested that legal action could ensue if Martin is appointed without that compensation agreement.
And from the manager’s point of view he is going to be denied the chance to get in there and work early with his new charges and instead is in a place of no return having signalled his intention to leave but being able to do so due to the inability of two professional football clubs to reach an agreement on how much money changes hands.
This has long since passed the stage of being called a mess, this is now pretty much a fiasco. The silence of both parties (all three if you include Martin) tells you much about what you need to know although we shouldn’t be completely forgetting the actions of Mr Silverstein sharing the clubs business via social media private messages. I cannot imagine that went down too well with any of the other major investors – new or old!
What is more incredible is that both clubs seem perfectly happy to let this drag on and disrupt their close season as much as is possible. I wonder if the ownership groups on either side has clocked that the new season is just seven weeks away from starting or whether they are starting to assume that the EFL will wait for them to finish their posturing against each other.
The laughable part (well it would be laughable bar the fact it isn’t particularly funny) is that the size of money they are posturing over could pale into insignificance if this drags on much longer and all our Championship rivals are busy preparing their squads and additions for the new season whilst we wonder what we could do next in terms of slowing it down even more.
For Southampton that could be more challenging in that hey will have Premier League players wanting to depart and Martin could be watching his new squad being dismantled without having a heavy input into who comes into replace them. The knock on effect of this whole sorry affair could be felt for months if it is not resolved quickly.
It was the 18th May that I wrote this needed to be completely quickly and here we are now 28 days later and we are really no further forward. It’s pathetic and the blame for that sits squarely with all parties concerned.
And neither sets of fans deserve that. Bring it to a close now before we waste any more time – we all deserve to move on!
Martin could easily be communicating with Southampton as to who and what he wants, player-wise. Have you not heard of burner phones?
Put Martin on gardening leave for the rest of his contract .That would really screw up Southampton .Keep the rest of the backroom staff unless they want to leave voluntarily .
I think that the fans will also want to see this resolved. Southampton have had so many upheavals in the last two years that to kick off the close season with this level of uncertainty does not instill any confidence for the immediate future….soon nobody will want to come to the club, not manager or players
Seriously! Try looking for someone else and stop embarrassing yourselves even more Southampton
Surely there must be some form of football arbitration process when two clubs can’t agree ?
At one point the swans were the pride of football becoming the ‘model’ football club.
Since the new regime took over we are becoming a laughing stock. And this farce just adds fuel to the foreign owners who prove time and time again they don’t give a flying fig for the swans or its supporters.
I agree Southampton are playing their part…so I’d play hardball and let him go to anyone other than the joke of a club.
Martin has made his intentions clear so gardening leave until the end of his contract and nobody will remember him when it’s done and dusted
Once again Saints owners are dragging their feet and making a hash of what should be a fairly basic task. Either pay up and get Martin, or tell Swansea to shove it and go for someone possibly better. There are plenty of good unemployed managers out there.
Like it or not Martin is employed by the Swans. He was approached originally without the Swans knowledge and with their manager still in place. I don’t think the Swans should just roll over and let Southampton do as they please. If Martin was sacked he would expect his contract paid up. So should we not expect the same. I don’t think that he will be a great loss. Didn’t want Benda then said he was a great loss. Some reports say he wants to take Jay with him, but for a season he just ignored him although most fans knew how good he was . I could go on about him but can’t understand that only the last 10 games seem to count for his performance
Let be honest Martin can resign like other manager have done Harry rednapp or pocketing and other who have walk out on their club just like the player
Well Martin did ok for Swansea City and I mean ok. Transfers didn’t help him, but he knew exactly what he was getting himself in for. Apparently he jumped before he was asked to leave Wimbledon. And he has done the same at Swansea. Why Else Would He Be In Contact With Southampton In May. I just hope it works out for him and that the board in Southampton are patient. As for Promotion This Year the only chance you have of that will be through the play offs. If Southampton Get A Few Bad Results Then Bye Bye Mr Martin.
Agree it’s not great on either side. Your own writer comments “We know that our majority owners have a track history of trying to play hardball over negotiations” so that covers the Swansea side. On the Saints side, we have paid off Hassenhuttl, paid Luton a fortune to bring Nathan Jones IN, then paid Jones a fortune to make him go OUT. We have become so short of money we had to let a coach manage us for the final games. The loss of our premiership revenue stream has meant massive redundancies at the club, the unseen admin staff etc. You look on us a mammoth wealthy club, but we’re not. We have to go careful.
That said, I am one who thought we could have met in the middle on this. You want X, we want to pay Y. Let’s agree to take the average of X and Y, would be an approach I would have preferred. I don’t know who couldn’t agree to that. It is rumoured we may be interested in some Swansea players, and if so, the rancour will continue.
It’s in everyone’s best interests to get this resolved, and I hope by the time this gets posted, we will all be friends again.
Tell Swansea “go get stuffed” plenty of out of work managers about surly Martin isn’t the only guy available.Both clubs want their arses kicked looks like no friendlys no pre season games and bottom by Christmas
It’s just Swansea being a bitter little club as usual, as backed up by the comments to put him on gardening leave for the rest of the contract. Arguing that Southampton are a Prem club so pay more. They were relegated. Simple as that. Just greedy owners trying to get more out of it.
what would be great is for saints to get tired of all this and go for another manager, and leave martin with egg on his face to eat humble pie. and get booed at every game by swans supporters, till he goes to sign on the dole.
swans supporter
He doesn’t want to be at Swans anymore so just give it up and let him go. Embarrassing for Swans.
JOE ALLEN AND NO BONES ABOUT IT!!
OK so Southampton come in for RM when they are still officially Premiership and would have to pay more compensation than a Championship club.
By doing that and have no doubt agreed terms with RM so it’s more than just an enquiry. That effectively burns his bridges with Swansea. So Southampton can now play hardball as for every month that passes its Swansea who are paying his £35k a month or whatever it is and not Southampton paying it.
As has been pointed out here already plans are being made and it does not affect them as the players are off on their holidays so no need for a manager.
Whether you like it or not its just good business sense not necessarily fair but since when has that ever applied.
They should just agree to go to arbitration or if RM has agreed terms then he should be asked what are your plans and if he says he’s going to Southampton then he should be sacked for breaching his contract and claim the compensation from him.
That said whilst Southampton were, in law, a Premiership club when the approach was made really they were de facto a Championship club so isn’t there room for a more common sense, dare I say it , fair approach.
If you bring in the lawyers then you can kiss goodbye to another chunk of the compensation.
What does the Premiership and Football League say, they should have the answer. Or is that just too simple.
Third party are to blame for this so calls agents it like player sign a contract them their agent tell then that another club want them to play for them if a player was told they can not leave club like lthe Manchester and the Liverpool and some of the London clubs would not win much so the small club would have a chance to win something. The fFA need to do some thing to stop the agent for doing this and make player and manage do there time in which they sign up for
Glad I decided not to renew my season ticket, our owners are an absolute joke.
Dear Swans Owners :
Split the difference on the compensation issue, cut our losses on Martin’s wages, get Nathan Jones in immediately, work HARD to keep skipper Grimes, sign some talented young players, get going on pre-season training and fixtures. JUST DO IT !!!!
More delays will hurt our club NOW as well as next season.
Americans ARE supposed to have a “can do attitude”, aren’t they ????
Get the looser yanks out of our football club. They, the yanks, are a pathetic parasite, with no interested in our club other than filling their bank accounts. I always thought that the yanks,, as a nation, like to win. But this lot are LOOSERS.