[Archived] Lucas Neill

[disgruntled]

May the force be with you Lucas

[cn_barlow]

well if thats the case, you lot should wait a few weeks before attacking him

Thanks to Neill for 5 good years at the club, and thanks for rejecting liverpool cos I hate them. He has gone to west ham most likely because of the fantastic contract they offered him, I don't like it, but thats how football is unfortunatly.

I won't boo him when comes back to Ewood with west ham, but unfortunatly most of the Ewood crowd will...nothing I can do with that either, thats how most football fans brains are programmed.

I haven't actually attacked him though have i...

I reckon the time was right, i wouldn't have been able to trust him playing for the rest of the season knowing that he's leaving. Silly when you consider that his performances have generally been good this term but that pessimism for you!

The thing the annoys me about this transfer is the fact that everytime i get a shirt with a name on the back they leave!! First George Donis, now Lucas...any advice on who i should get next? Mokoena anyone?!

[Uddersfelt Blue]

All this fuss over a player who has given us solid service for 4/5 years.

What do people expect? That he was going to end his playing days with Rovers? Get real.

As for 60k per week. Thats not his valuation but someone else's and there's not a member of this board who would have turned down such an offer.

But he's a West Ham player now and we move onwards and upwards

[Scotty]

I agree with both Tris and Thenodrog. I'm clearly still pi55ed from the weekend.

[FourLaneBlue]

Bottom line is Neill shafted Blackburn Rovers to optimise his own financial position.

Errr...how? What did he do to shaft the club? Ferguson shafted Rovers, Neill conducted himself well and left in an altogether professional manner. If need be he would have seen out his agreed contract length so how on earth can he possibly have been said to shaft the club?

[Tris]

Bottom line is Neill shafted Blackburn Rovers to optimise his own financial position.

Another lie - pure and simple.

He was signed for £600,000. So Rovers have had 5 1/2 years of service AND more than doubled their money.

Edited January 22, 2007 by Tris

[pg]

two words: pride, passion. Where's yours - or were you unaware at what he did towards the B/bn End during the Nancy game?

Was that after he scored the match-winning goal with a superb volley into the corner of the net in injury time

If Lucas was so bad as people think.. Hughes would have unloaded him along with Amoruso, or stuck him in the reserves like Matteo.

But instead, he was first name on the team sheet every week and was even given the armband.

Cheers Lucas.. try not to break the legs of any Rovers players please!

Edited January 22, 2007 by pg

[Hasta]

Oh yeah, brilliant, if they'd all "loyally" seen out their contracts like Lucas then we'd have been about 38 million quid worse off in terms of transfer fees we would never have received!

Bottom line is Neill shafted Blackburn Rovers to optimise his own financial position. Which unfortunately post Bosman, he's perfectly entitled to do.

Apart from Sherwood, exactly which one of those players did Rovers want to lose at that time. None. But they all left at short notice leaving us having to unexpectedly find replacements.

A player screwing a club post Bosman means that he dallys signig a new contract until it runs out so that his club cant get a transfer fee for him and he can command big wages. Lucas gave us 18 months notice. If we wanted to add to our £38million we could have sold him in the summer for much more than £1.5m.

By the way, theres only two Lucas Neils !

Edited January 22, 2007 by Hasta

[yoda]

May the force be with you Lucas

HEY!!!! THATS MY LINE

[RevidgeBlue]

Another lie - pure and simple.

What ARE you on about?

His market value under normal circumstances would have been at least 3x what we got for him.

[Hasta]

So why didnt we sell in the summer if we wanted the money?

[Tris]

What ARE you on about?

His market value under normal circumstances would have been at least 3x what we got for him.

What?? What are "normal circumstances"??

Why aren't you slating David Dunn for not signing up his extra two year option with Birmingham so they could have got his "market value under normal circumstances"?

Rovers have MADE A PROFIT on Neill, and sometimes I think you're on a completely different planet once you've decided you don't like certain players!

[grizfoot]

We've got to thank him for his service over the time he's been at the club. Most the time he's been a terrific player for us.

Leaving for a team below us in the league and apparently just for the money leaves a sour taste in the mouth. But hey what the heck Rovers have got £1.5m for a player who's contract is up in the summer, that is some good business.

I'll lookout for you in the Championship next year Lucash

Edited January 22, 2007 by grizfoot

[RevidgeBlue]

What?? What are "normal circumstances"??

Why aren't you slating David Dunn for not signing up his extra two year option with Birmingham so they could have got his "market value under normal circumstances"?

Rovers have MADE A PROFIT on Neill, and sometimes I think you're on a completely different planet once you've decided you don't like certain players!

Sheesh

1) Not entering the final 12 months of his contract

2) Obviously because I'm a Rovers fan and we got the better end of the Dunn deal. If I was a Brum fan I wouldn't be too impressed.

Stop trying to defend an indefensible position. Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit and we've lost out on about 2.75m as a result.

Entirely his prerogative and maybe in a financial sense you can't blame him but don't try and pretend it's anything other than that just so you can pick an argument with me.

[Paul Mellelieu]

I really don't follow your logic rev.

We could sold him in the summer if we'd chosen to.

[Tris]

Sheesh

1) Not entering the final 12 months of his contract

2) Obviously because I'm a Rovers fan and we got the better end of the Dunn deal. If I was a Brum fan I wouldn't be too impressed.

Stop trying to defend an indefensible position. Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit and we've lost out on about 2.75m as a result.

Entirely his prerogative and maybe in a financial sense you can't blame him but don't try and pretend it's anything other than that just so you can pick an argument with me.

indeed!! You are the one with the indefensible position.

As countless others have pointed out Rovers were made well aware of Neill's intentions long before he entered the final 12 months of his contract.

To say "Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit" is a statement without a grain of truth in it.

[RevidgeBlue]

To say "Neill ran his contract down for his own benefit" is a statement without a grain of truth in it.

That was Neill's intention.

Whether or not the club should have taken matters out of Neill's hands and sold him in the summer is a different matter entirely and one for debate.

However as I recall there was only ever really a swap deal with Warnock on offer in the summer anyway which Sparky must not have fancied at that stage.

Edited January 22, 2007 by RevidgeBlue

[FourLaneBlue]

Rev - Lucas isn't cattle. He signed a contract and we have known he would not be signing another since the summer. Rovers could have sold him in the summer but it didn't suit them then but he played and most people think he did a decent job. Sure he made some mistakes but when didn't he?

These are normal circumstances...Neill was under contract to the club yet gave plenty of notice that he was leaving. Hence we have brought in a long-term replacement as well as having made a profit of almost a million on him in transfer fees.

Lucas has not in any way, shape or form shafted the club during his five and a half or so years as a Rovers player.

Edited January 22, 2007 by FourLaneBlue

[American]

Oh yeah, brilliant, if they'd all "loyally" seen out their contracts like Lucas then we'd have been about 38 million quid worse off in terms of transfer fees we would never have received!

Bottom line is Neill shafted Blackburn Rovers to optimise his own financial position. Which unfortunately post Bosman, he's perfectly entitled to do.

Hope it never happens to us again though.

Anyway as 1864 says "Lucas who" we've played two away games without him and are two victories by an aggregate of seven goals to one to the good.

You really have been spouting some crud lately. When did he turn down a transfer that would have allowed us a larger fee? Hughes felt he needed him for the past 3 months, so he chose for him to stay here, not Lucas. If anything, he should be applauded for giving the notice he did and giving the opportunity for us to get more money for him 6 months ago.

It's not like he kept saying he might sign. (Not to mention that if we believe Brownie, we made one take it or leave it offer that was below his market value.)

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

He rolled his eyes and actually said "No chance" when I mentioned West ham to him.

No chance at all Brownie ?

Did you ask him: "What about if you were offered more than a thousand of these a week at West Ham ?

But it surely can't be about money. Good God, no. Neill is leaving for footballing reasons and for a new challenge.

When he told you Brownie that there was "No chance" of him moving to West Ham, that must have been because he didn't realise what a great club the Hammers are and what a fantastic footballing challenge a relegation battle at Upton Park represents.

Why would he want to stay at a club in the top half of the table, competing in Europe, when he can move to a side in the relegation zone and have the fantastic footballing challenge of keeping them up?

Apparently, in between sorting out the finer points of the West Ham deal, Lucas's agent Peter Harrison managed to find the time to pop into an East London pub this evening to sing a bit of ABBA during a karaoke set.

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha-ahaaa

All the things I can do

Now I have a little money

It's a rich man's world

A man like that is hard to find but I can't get Lucas off my mind

Ain't I glad

And if Lucas happens to be free he'll stuff the Rovers just for me

That's too bad

So he must leave, he has to go

To West Ham or Monaco

And get a fortune in a game, our lives will never be the same...

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha-ahaaa

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It's a rich man's world

A man like that is hard to find but now our pockets are really lined

Aint I glad

And if Lucas happens to be free I knew he'd move just for me

That's too bad

So he must leave, he has to go

To West Ham or Monaco

And get a fortune in a game, our lives will never be the same...

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man's world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man's world

Aha-ahaaa

All the things I can do

Now I have a little money

It's a rich man's world

[Dr Gonzo]

My response.... Meh

[Flopsy]

oh no, someone moves job for a new challenge and enhanced wage packet.

The Shock!

The Horror!

The typical reactions by the same people who seem to think that footballers should only play for one club and one club only.

for ever and ever amen

[thenodrog]

What ARE you on about?

His market value under normal circumstances would have been at least 3x what we got for him.

Sorry Simon but I think that you have got a badly skewed outlook on this....

1. EVERY player at BRFC is playing under the terms of a contract that has a sell by date. Amoruso quite legally exploited the situation far more than Neill and I'm sure that you will see many others doing likewise.

2. One of your favourites Craig Bellamy ripped us off too if you want to view it that way. You can be sure that he'll have had a massive signing-on fee in one way or another cos just a day or two later and we could have demanded twice as much for him. Bellamy's quite legally 'done' us for a few million so whats the difference? No wait I'll tell you........ Bellers lied that he was going nowhere!

3. The difference between Neill and most others who have left is that Neill has been quite open and above board about his intentions whilst still continuing to play out his contract honestly, professionally and without any shenanigins that we see employed freqently in these situations.

It's not often that thenodrog is quoteworthy, but he hits the nail right on the head here -

I agree with both Tris and Thenodrog. I'm clearly still pi55ed from the weekend.

This is happening all too frequently....... Either I've managed to educate a few on here over the years OR I'm losing my touch!

Edited January 22, 2007 by thenodrog

[RevidgeBlue]

One of your favourites Craig Bellamy ripped us off too if you want to view it that way. You can be sure that he'll have had a massive signing-on fee in one way or another cos just a day or two later and we could have demanded twice as much for him. Bellamy's quite legally 'done' us for a few million so whats the difference? No wait I'll tell you........ Bellers lied that he was going nowhere!

Exactly so. Bellamy behaved worse than Neill if you will but the situations do bear certain similarities.

Bellamy insisted on "the clause" so he could get a cut price move ensuring someone probably came in for him with a whacking signing on fee plus higher wages.

Neill refused to sign a new contract so that he could move for nothing in the summer or at worst allowing him to move before then for a vastly reduced fee thereby ensuring himself a whacking signing on fee plus (much) higher wages.

However I seem to be arguing with people claiming Lucas wasn't acting purely in his own best interests!.

Where would we be if everyone simply walked out at the end of their contracts? In a right mess.

Interesting what we're going to do about it in future though. We didn't get a real inkling that Lucas was leaving until this summer (12 months to go on the contract) by which time it was probably already too late to realise his true market value.

Do we have to insist that players we want to keep always have at least two years left on their contracts in future or they'll be sold? Could get pricey.

Or do we just leave it as it is and risk the odd one walking out?

[Blueboy Downunder]

I am not angry at lucas for leaving rovers, not at all. however i think i would speak for nearly all rovers fans in saying that we are all more baffled and perplexed.....in his reasons for choosing west ham

In the interviews he has given since agreeing terms with the hammers, some of the things he said also confuse me.."it is about being wanted", lucas, rovers have had an offer of a new contract on the table for the best part of 12 months now, and i believe have more than once tried to renegotiate the terms of that contract, with improved numbers...so if it is about being wanted, then there is only one club he should have still been playing at next weekend. not just to rovers fans, but probably to liverpool supporters aswell and footy fans in general his move to london just defies all kinds of logic, in terms of football. rovers in the uefa cup, top half of the league and progressing in the fa cup. even better, a move to a club who are into the last 16 of the champions league, top 6 in the premier league......

some people on here have an issue with lucas because of the things he has said in the print media and on numerous interviews, aswell as the silly thing he did after scoring against nancy at ewood.....if he doesn't do any of that and just says " i would like to leave for something new".....then IMO nobody on here can grumble at him and call him everything under the sun, all he has done is given folks the ammunition of which to fire at him.

what his move south shows me is that he has absolutely NO ambition. it shows that he thinks he is too good to want to fight for a place at one of the worlds great football clubs, in liverpool fc.