[Archived] Lucas Neill

[colin]

A footballers career is very short, they have to make the most of what they have while they are in their prime.....

A footballers working life is in no way comparable to that of a regular man.

Sorry T4E but that point (which I fully realise has been made before by many other people) really gets on my wick.

Any professional footballer (and in fact any sportsman/woman) starts off knowing that they have a short career and that they are not going to be doing it until retirement age. So they should get themselves ready for another career or job once they are too old to play sport.

In what other job does anyone expect to retire at about 33 and then to expect to lounge around playing golf for 30 years until the pension kicks in?

Bah humbug!

[BRFC4EVA]

Has he buggered off yet, wish this would get sorted out, whether he stays with us or goes to one of l'pool/west ham. All this speculation is a mite annoying imo.

[thenodrog]

If, as seems increasingly likely, we are getting Warnock in first it seems very unlikely we'll be keeping Lucas.

And rightly so. He's been poor enough over the last couple of months as it is as his attention has wandered. It would be a disaster playing him for the remainder of the season imo.

It's absolutely true, hindsight and his recent performances on the pitch have shown you've been wrong in your unstinting support of Neill but you won't admit that's the case.

1. His absolutely pin point assist for Nonda gained us two points v Liverpool.

2. Ditto for the first and pivotal Derbyshire goal against Wigan.

As with Dunn/Ferguson you're contradicting your normal position again Gordon. You're usually one for the club taking preemptive strike action first, leaving the awkward player with nowhere to go!

Correct Simon .... and I dearly wish we would sign a better player to pressurise Neill and his agent! Indeed we should already have done so. But imo Warnock is not that man. Any criticism for not replacing him 'pre-emptively' must be aimed at the mgment and not at Neill though cos he's hardly likely to be expected to scout his own replacement is he?

[Fife Rover]

Right Oscar BUT the salient point is ........... why would you do all that if your employee was only on a 4 year contract (of your own making) which was virtually fulfilled?

There is a big difference!

btw this made me laugh....

CARS BEFORE CAPS IS CRAZY - PEARCE

Posted 19/01/07 10:37EmailPrintSave

Stuart Pearce has hit out at today's young players for being more interested in fancy cars than football. Pearce told the story of a player who he recently asked, "Would you rather have a Ferrari or an England cap?" "He told me 'well, definitely a Ferrari because they are fantastic, aren't they?" said the Manchester City manager. "Thats just alien to me."

Pearce offered the anecdote after hearing of Lucas Neill's decision to move to West Ham after the London club offered him a higher wage than Liverpool.

err I love Stuart Pearce's forthright honesty etc but will somebody please tell him that Neill is Australian?

Oh come on Theno! Surely YOU dont think that Pearce was talking about Neill when he delivered his little homily about the Ferrari and the England Cap??

[thenodrog]

Oh come on Theno! Surely YOU dont think that Pearce was talking about Neill when he delivered his little homily about the Ferrari and the England Cap??

No of course I didn't Fife. I was attempting to apply humour to the quote.

or as it says in the good book........... 'and some seed fell on stony ground'.

[Fife Rover]

No of course I didn't Fife. I was attempting to apply humour to the quote.

or as it says in the good book........... 'and some seed fell on stony ground'.

Oh dear! Yes, I'm afraid I do struggle a little with the contemporary sense of humour.

[blue phil]

Since the parallel with personal lives is being used for Lucash Out Neill, let me try this one.

You have Decided you no longer wish to work for your current employer, you know that in a short time you can leave to a bigger better company or more cash. During this time do you honestly put forth 100% effort for your currnet employer. Do you really care if your mistake cost the current employer? Honestly now do you?

No, and at times neither has Neill.

I can't say I've noticed any lessening in Neil's commitment recently at all - whatever his form has been like (and I don't wish to get involved in that argument ).

On the other hand I have noticed other players this season (who aren't going anywhere ) put in a lot less than 100% .

I'd say that Neil tends to be more on the professional than he does lazy . Personally I've no problem if he plays tomorrow or not .

[bellamy11]

1. His absolutely pin point assist for Nonda gained us two points v Liverpool.

Seriously, drog, what are you talking about? Did you even go to the Liverpool game? I've even pointed this out in a previous thread!

[Shaddy]

If it's accurate it is absolutely astonishing that West Ham have written it in. Surely the kind of players they are looking for are ones who are absolutely behind the cause.

One of the biggest problems a relegated team faces is cutting back on player wages. If they are getting Neill fairly cheap, in terms of transfer, they've little to lose if they are relegated and 50k a week Neill relieves them of that wage commitment.

Has anyone stopped to think that perhaps West Ham want to put in the relegation clause?

I knew I should have waited until after reading the entire thread to make the above post.

[Paul]

I can't say I've noticed any lessening in Neil's commitment recently at all - whatever his form has been like (and I don't wish to get involved in that argument )............ Personally I've no problem if he plays tomorrow or not .

Same for me. We know what Neill is like, generally he's good but has periods when he's either poor or not concentrating. I don;t think this season has been any different to the previous three.

[Ninjathunder]

BBC says various papers reporting a tug of war between Newcastle and West Ham for his services.

[thenodrog]

Seriously, drog, what are you talking about? Did you even go to the Liverpool game? I've even pointed this out in a previous thread!

Quite right... That was Benni. I meant Boro.

Edited January 20, 2007 by thenodrog

[92er]

Neill has every right to leave us. I suspect he did want to improve himself and I suspect he is disappointed Liverpool have apparently offered him such comparatively low wages-probably not low for you or me-but he still wants to leave.

I also suspect that he is going to end up leaving simply for an enormous (grotesque?) increase in wages but as a result will go to a club that is not really in a better position than us and I suspect he will not really feel a great deal of satisfaction at his new club. After all he is at a "proper football club", as Sherwood described us some time after leaving Spurs. Indeed Sherwood is one of many players who has left us to go on and improve themselves, and than appear to have regretted the move. As someone has previously posted, not many players who leave us go on and improve themselves.

[USABlue]

I can't say I've noticed any lessening in Neil's commitment recently at all - whatever his form has been like (and I don't wish to get involved in that argument ).

On the other hand I have noticed other players this season (who aren't going anywhere ) put in a lot less than 100% .

I'd say that Neil tends to be more on the professional than he does lazy . Personally I've no problem if he plays tomorrow or not .

I think I was referring to his seemingly increased rash behaviour, still I could have him under a microscope

Did mr thenoI'malwaysrighteveryoneelseisanidotDrog, forget the body slam worthy of professional Wrestling or the free kick he perhaps could have not given away that led to Arsenals first goal. To name but two.

I have NO problems with Neill leaving, I said ages back he was a mercenary (ridiculed for it too) Neill's best performances for us came in the years contract negotiations were coming up, everything inbetween was very average. Only thing is I wish he would be gone already, I think we will be better as a team for it.

Edited January 20, 2007 by USABlue

[AxesFirstTouch]

3 Penaltys given away by Judas half way through a season is not good enough for any player, who cares if he's versatile and good at attacking, conceding 3 Pens is shocking. Some teams dont even 3 penalties all season!.

[doctorryan]

.................Neill's best performances for us came in the years contract negotiations were coming up, everything inbetween was very average....................

"Salary Drive Seasons" we call them here in the US; and yes, those were his most consistent seasons.

[Wiggy]

1. His absolutely pin point assist for Nonda gained us two points v Liverpool.

2. Ditto for the first and pivotal Derbyshire goal against Wigan.

?

You been boozing Drog?

1. Pederson to McCarthy.

2. Second ( and pivotal!) goal at Wigan.

[unleaded]

Neil has Finally gone!!! How much is $3.7 million in pounds any body?

SOCCEROOS star Lucas Neill last night revealed why he chose to pledge his football future to battling West Ham and not pedigree club Liverpool - and insisted it wasn't about the money.

After finally concluding a complex switch from Blackburn Rovers to the Hammers for a transfer fee of $3.7 million, Neill, speaking exclusively with The Sunday Telegraph, said he was motivated by ambition not greed.

The versatile defender has signed a 2 year contract worth an estimated $150,000 a week - $70,000 more than Liverpool were prepared to pay.

Its Not About money!!!

[FourLaneBlue]

That's 1,872,662.50 GBP according to http://www.xe.com if you mean US dollars by that. More likely to be Aussie dollars so - £1,477,912.16, or £1.5million most likely.

A good deal all round if true for someone with only a few months left on their contract.

Of course a huge amount of it is to do with money...it his career and livelihood, if it a large part of it wasn't about money it would be rather strange.

Good luck to him (as long as he doesn't slate us all in the papers soon) as I have said before as he hasn't done anything wrong and I think he's been, overall, pretty good for us this season. If you compare his professional manner at Rovers to how Barry Ferguson acted when he wanted to leave then I feel it is hard to think too badly of how Lucas has handled the whole affair.

$150,000 AUD a week though...that is £60,000 a week! No way is he worth that. That is what we offered Bellamy to keep him here. Crazy money for a good - but certainly not great - defender.

Edited January 20, 2007 by FourLaneBlue

[ABBEY]

did anyone hear porky parry and townsend giving him hell for being a greedy mercanary with no ambiton in his life lol

Edited January 20, 2007 by ABBEY

[FourLaneBlue]

did anyone hear porky parry and townsend giving him hell for being a greedy mervcanary with no ambiton in his life lol

He's getting £60,000 a week to play Premiership football in one of the world's greatest cities....yeah...what a loser!

Apart from anything else...West Ham are a team on the up and I highly doubt they will go down. This won't be the end of their spending.

Edited January 20, 2007 by FourLaneBlue

[OhmiBRFC]

theres nothing on BBC or West Ham site to suggest he's gone?

[unleaded]

Aussie whiz-kid 15-year-old Chris Payne has been invited back for a second stint at Blackburn after Lucas Neill paid for him to travel to England for a trial at Ewood Park.

Neill might be gone but his lagesse looks set to live on at the club where he says he spent five great years.

Edited January 20, 2007 by unleaded

[SouthAussieRover]

Unleaded in the link you posted re Neill to West Ham, it is the Sunday Telegraph dated 21.1.07

Just how early do they print papers these days?

[OhmiBRFC]

He needs a hair cut