[Archived] Lucas Neill

[aussie odg]

Hi Guys

telegraph in sydney headlines,Neill to be consulted on hammers new manager what a ###### so him against rovers treacy rubbished him.westham must love him they have lost players lets suck to lucash,they go about viduka cause keegan is leaving big deal,vduka scores what 7 goals in 45 games for aussies british rail strike quicker money

assie odg

[Blue blood]

What a stunning rolemodel that lad Jamie is. Great example to us all.

Now if that was a player from a lesser club I've a feeling that the FA would come down on them like a ton of bricks - and quite rightly so. However playing for Liverpool I've no doubt the FA will find another patch of sand to bury their heads in.

[T4E]

What a ######.

Anybody else think that maybe Neill's decision to join West Ham might have had something to do with fear of being beaten stupid?

Possible. I seem to remember Souness leaving Neill out of the return fixture at Anfield that season, this may have had something to do with it.

[BRFC1995]

Could'nt agree more with carra's views on international football....i'm all for making internationals for ameteurs only, and i just see weeks like this as one where i have no football to watch and a waste of a saturday! Make it like golf where your either an ameteur or a pro and see how many would sacrifice money over playing for their country.

on the basis that carra thinks he's in the scouse mob i heard some one refer to him as "DOLE Corleone" brilliant

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Lucas digs in his heels and refuses any drop in his £65,000-a-week wages....

LINK HERE

This is the guy who previously said how proud he was to wear the same claret and blue shirt as Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking.

Lucas said that his move from Rovers to West Ham had nothing to do with money. "It wasn't about cash - that didn't come into it," said Neill after his move to Upton Park in January 2007. (See the link here)

If that's the case, as Lucas claimed, that his move to West Ham had nothing to do with money, shouldn't he be only too delighted to sign the new contract on the table from West Ham, a club that he claims to love, on a new deal reported to be worth £48,000-a-week or around £2.5m a year.

Considering that Neill previously talked about West Ham in such glowing terms - "They almost blew me away" he said in 2007, why then does Lucas appear to be not so keen now now to extend his stay at Upton Park?

Could it possibly be that Mr Neill was telling porkie pies when he said that his move to Upton Park had nothing to do with money?

It seems to me that Lucas is the archetypal example of a modern footballer. One minute he expresses his desire to play for his 'boyhood club' Liverpool, telling us that he had posters on his bedroom wall of Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish. The next minute he tells us how he would prefer to play for the same club as Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds at Upton Park, and that this move to West Ham had nothing to do with money.

Now he's apparently digging his heels in and stubbornly refusing to sign a new contract with the Hammers on reduced wages of £48,000-a-week.

I suppose we'll have to wait for his next story if, for example, he signs for Man City - "I've always wanted to play for the same club as Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Rodney Marsh. My move to Manchester City has nothing to do with money."

Or perhaps if he signs for Aston Villa: "I've always wanted to play for the same club as Peter Withe, Brian Little and Dennis Mortimer. My move to Aston Villa has nothing to do with money."

I suppose that some people will believe Lucas Neill's soothing words of comfort to the fans. Please forgive me if I choose not to....

Edited June 1, 2009 by Anti Euro Smiths Fan

[DE.]

Can't see any other clubs offering him anywhere near 65k a week... even 48k seems extortionate, as he's not that good and on the wrong side of 30.

Hopefully this will stop anybody wanting him back here.

[Billy Castell]

He was a very good player when he left. No idea whether he is still a good player. I seriously doubt he's worth £35,000 p/w let alone £65,000 p/w

[Alan75]

Well I dont blame him sticking to the contract they gave him. More fool them for offering it in the first place.

[philipl]

Don't know whether it was just London hype but Lucas seemed to be a large part of the reason on field West Ham went from strugglers to Europa challengers.

[neekoy]

Well I dont blame him sticking to the contract they gave him. More fool them for offering it in the first place.

Here Here.

It was always about money. He wants to own his own A-League club back in Australia and needs the dollars to make that happen.

This is surely dead and buried by now though?

[FourLaneBlue]

This is surely dead and buried by now though?

No such thing as a dead and buried thread with AESF on the scene

[mickbrown]

Don't know whether it was just London hype but Lucas seemed to be a large part of the reason on field West Ham went from strugglers to Europa challengers.

He is an important member of the team but Upson, Parker and Green are more important.

Lucas is a great organiser and a great captain, unfortunately his legs seem to have gone.......

I will be surprised if anyone betters the deal which is on the table at West Ham.

[LeChuck]

Ah Lucash - refusing to sign a new contract so he can force one club or another to throw £££s at him. Some things never change.

Players deliberately running their contracts down is a pretty rare thing, but for him to pull the same stunt twice is quite something, especially as he was club captain in both scenarios. Can't think of anyone else that has done it.

I'm not naive enough to think money isn't a huge factor for every footballer, but Neill really is on another level.

Edited June 2, 2009 by LeChuck

[mickbrown]

Ah Lucash - refusing to sign a new contract so he can force one club or another to throw £££s at him. Some things never change.

Players deliberately running their contracts down is a pretty rare thing, but for him to pull the same stunt twice is quite something, especially as he was club captain in both scenarios. Can't think of anyone else that has done it.

I'm not naive enough to think money isn't a huge factor for every footballer, but Neill really is on another level.

Thats unfair and incorrect, Neill has been chasing a new contract for 12 months, unfortunately West Ham's future isn't sorted so that has clouded the matter, not to mention he is currently £20K overpaid per month......

[FourLaneBlue]

Players deliberately running their contracts down is a pretty rare thing

Not anymore like in the days of MacManaman and Campbell...seems to be becoming pretty standard these days.

[LeChuck]

Thats unfair and incorrect, Neill has been chasing a new contract for 12 months, unfortunately West Ham's future isn't sorted so that has clouded the matter, not to mention he is currently £20K overpaid per month......

He's chasing another insanely high contract. Man City are the only club in the league who would pay the wages he's after.

Not anymore like in the days of MacManaman and Campbell...seems to be becoming pretty standard these days.

It's still rare in England for players not approaching the end of their careers to do it. Hasn't happened to us since, can't think of any other clubs it's happened to with players they wanted to hang to either.

[mickbrown]

He's chasing another insanely high contract. Man City are the only club in the league who would pay the wages he's after.

Not really he just wants to stay at his current pay level.

Michael Owen to name another.........

[LeChuck]

Not really he just wants to stay at his current pay level.

Michael Owen to name another.........

Owen is going to drop down from £120,000 to £50,000 if reports are to be believed. That's between £15,000-£20,000 less than what Lucash is trying to get. He doesn't deserve to be at his current pay level, he should know that and appreciate that West Ham have been massively overpaying him for years. Instead he's trying to make sure they get £0 return on their investment in him. He's the most classless player in the league bar none, I can't stand him.

I actually think he'll end up signing a new contract there when he realises no-one else is stupid enough to pay him that money, unless City come in and match it, although personally I don't see why they need a right back with Richards and Zabaleta already there.

Edited June 2, 2009 by LeChuck

[b12_simon]

Players deliberately running their contracts down is a pretty rare thing, but for him to pull the same stunt twice is quite something, especially as he was club captain in both scenarios. Can't think of anyone else that has done it.

Neil announced he was going to leave then worked his jacksy off til he did. Yes it was about cash but don't accuse him of not putting a shift in.

[LeChuck]

Neil announced he was going to leave then worked his jacksy off til he did. Yes it was about cash but don't accuse him of not putting a shift in.

I didn't.

I can accuse him of being rash and error prone though.

[b12_simon]

I didn't.

Fair enough - looks like I got the wrong end of the stick.

I can accuse him of being rash and error prone though.

Both on and off the field

[pg]

How many people here would agree to a 20% pay-cut?

[Alan75]

How many people here would agree to a 20% pay-cut?

Not when already paying 50% tax on my salary.

[gumboots]

How many people here would agree to a 20% pay-cut?

Well Honda workers have just taken a 3% one to keep the plant going and ensure they have a job to go to. Depends if he can find another club to pay him a bigger wage or not. If a 20% cut kept me in work and above what I'd get on benefits, I'd take it, but then I need the job, and could always look for something else whilst working at my reduced salary.

[philipl]

Lucash has looked at what West Ham are offering and the situation they are in and concluded he's much better off as a free agent in the market place.

My guess is that if he were under contract, he would still command a transfer fee of £4m in all likelihood.

So as a very proven PL full back, he thinks he can command a "normal" wage of say £30K a week plus pocket most of the transfer fee he is not costing any cub he joins.

West Ham on the otherhand might (and I stress might) be extremely grateful not to be even paying him the 20% reduction in pay they offered. It depends what RBS are saying to them about their own £48m bank loan. (That is seperate from their soon to be liquidated owner's debts).